Inter look to be close to sealing a deal for Italian midfield starlet Nicolo Barella from Cagliari, but he is not the only name they have earmarked to revamp their midfield under Antonio Conte. The Corriere dello Sport today writes that the Nerazzurri are also looking to bring in former player Mateo Kovacic, who looks set to return to Real Madrid following his loan with Chelsea.
Kovacic failed to set the Premier League alight this season, and Chelsea do not seem overly keen on signing the midfielder permanently, especially since manager Maurizio Sarri, who brought him in, seems to be close to leaving the club to join Juventus. This leaves him open to offers, and with Madrid not keen on handing him a starting role next season a move back to his old stomping ground could appeal to the Croatian midfielder.
However CdS claim that if Inter were to bring him back, they would need to reduce the wage bill, and they might try to offload Nainggolan, who has had links to China recently.