Jose Mourinho wants to buy Mateo Kovacic in January

Jose Mourinho reportedly wants Real Madrid midfielder Mateo Kovacic as he looks to boost his midfield , as January exits in the form of Marouane Fellaini and Henrikh Mkhitaryan loom large.

Real Madrid reportedly values the Croatian at 28 million pounds , who is also targeted by Premier League clubs Tottenham Hotspurs and Liverpool.

The highly rated Croatian has struggled to nail down a position in Zinedine Zidane’s starting eleven since his 25 million pound move to Los Blancos in 2015, with Toni Kroos and Luka Modric preferred over him.

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It is reported that the 23 year old is open to a move away from the Bernabeu as he looks for game time before the 2018 World Cup.  

Manchester United has looked a totally different side without Paul Pogba in the starting eleven, who missed a few matches through an injury and suspension, and his importance in the squad has not gone unnoticed by the United boss.

Ander Herrera has been in surprisingly poor form this season and with Fellaini and Mkhitaryan possibly heading out this January, Mourinho will be desperate to build his midfield options and has identified Kovacic, who has similar gameplay to that of Pogba,  as a top priority target as they look to catch up with runaway leaders Manchester City.