The Croatia midfielder ranks among the most highly rated 21-year-olds in European football but could find first-team opportunities hard to come by to begin with in Spain.
It was a transfer story that came out of nowhere. Mateo Kovacic was expected to be a key part of Inter’s title challenge when the Serie A season gets under way on Saturday. Instead, the 21-year-old playmaker is on his way to the Spanish capital to become Rafael Benitez’s latest signing as Real Madrid boss.
The switch caps an incredible rise. Despite his young age, Kovacic will enter his seventh season of senior football at the Santiago Bernabeu, having made his debut for Dinamo Zagreb at 16.