West Ham have submitted a formal offer to Real Madrid for Mateo Kovacic, according to reports.
Kovacic, the Croatia midfielder, has made it clear he wants guaranteed first-team football next season, having started just 10 LaLiga matches in 2017/18.
Though Real have no intention to sell the 24-year-old, Kovacic said about his situation: “I would like to play more at Real Madrid because I love football and I love being on the pitch.
“I know that it’s difficult to be a starter at Real Madrid, especially when I arrived at a really young age.
“I understand the situation, but because of that I believe the best thing for me would be to go to another club where I’d have the opportunity to play regularly as a starter.”
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Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester City are said to be interested in signing Kovacic, but another Premier League team have entered the race.
According to TMW, West Ham have pressed forward with a move to sign Kovacic this summer, going so far to submit to Real Madrid an ‘official offer’ for the midfielder.
The Hammers are said to be the ‘most interested’ party in securing Kovacic’s signature, though Serie A sides Juventus, Roma and Napoli are also mentioned in the report as being long-term admirers of the former Internazionle star.
West Ham have already completed three signings this summer, bringing in Ryan Fredericks, the full-back, from Fulham, centre-half Issa Diop from Toulouse, and Lukasz Fabianski, the goalkeeper, from Swansea City.
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