Inter Milan are close to signing rumoured West Ham United target Luke Jovic on loan from Real Madrid after successful talks with his La Liga outfit, according to Mundo Deportivo.
Galacticos President Florentino Perez is eager to offload Jovic before hitting the August 31 deadline. Carlo Ancelotti does not envision utilising the Serbian this season after replacing Zinedine Zidane at the Santiago Bernabeu helm over the summer.
Real Madrid would prefer to sell Jovic, just two years on from paying Eintracht Frankfurt £52.5m for the 23-year-old. They also handed him a £167,000-per-week, five-year contract on his arrival, but are yet to see their investment work out.
Jovic has scored just twice in 33 appearances for Real Madrid and spent the latter half of last season back at Eintracht Frankfurt on loan. He enjoyed a promising start to his return to the Bundesliga with three goals in three games, but only netted once in the following 15.
West Ham were in the mix to sign Jovic on loan from Real Madrid over the winter, too. The Mirror reported in November that David Moyes wanted to rival Leicester for a loan with an option to buy. And his interest has failed to wane since, either, according to Eurosport.
Moyes has again shown an interest in West Ham signing Jovic from Real Madrid to help ease the goalscoring burden on Michail Antonio. The 31-year-old remains the Hammers only recognised centre-forward after selling Sebastien Haller to Ajax in January.
But Moyes risks seeing West Ham miss out on a deal, as Inter have held successful talks with Real Madrid. The Serie A champions are now close to completing a temporary transfer to bolster Simone Inzaghi’s offensive options with Jovic.
Inter Milan to deny West Ham chance to sign Jovic?
West Ham still have a window to sign Jovic if they offer Real Madrid a permanent transfer, unlike Inter Milan. But the Nerazzurri appear set to deny Moyes the Serbian striker he has long admired as they replace Romelu Lukaku.
Jovic would be a worthwhile option for Moyes to explore this summer as he continues to search for Haller’s successor. The 14-cap international will be itching to get his career back on track after struggling in Spain. He also only played a backup role at Frankfurt last term.
Yet Jovic offered a creative touch and helped pull the Eintracht offence together when on the pitch. The Ancelotti outcast also has a big admirer in Lionel Messi, who stated last year, via Sport Bible. “[He’s] a magical player who makes the impossible, possible.”
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