The future of Mateo Kovacic has been decided. According to the Express, Inter Milan are ready to let the 21-year-old depart to Liverpool for a £21 million fee. Liverpool, however, are only willing to offer £15 million for the Croatian.
Per the report, Inter's asking price is to help circumvent the cost of the arrival of Geoffrey Kondogbia. The 22-year-old, joining from AS Monaco, described his transfer to Milan as a dream come true.
"Being a part of this great team is a dream come true," Kondogbia said, speaking to Inter Channel (via Football Italia). "I want to be here for as long as possible. As a kid, I used to watch Inter play on TV, and now I'm joining this huge club. I will give my all."
"The reception from the fans? I noticed it right away," he added. "It's a real pleasure for me and I hope we can achieve big things together. I spoke with [coach Roberto] Mancini a week ago. What he said really convinced me. I don't think you can say no to a club like Inter."
Kondogbia did say no to money, though. His agent, Paolo Schiavone, admitted his client turned down offers from England, Spain and Italy to join the Nerazzurri.
"He received offers from England, Spain and Italy, as Milan and Inter weren't the only clubs interested in Serie A," Schiavone said. "It was never an issue of money. Geoffrey wanted a project to wed himself to and he found that in the Nerazzurri."
Kondogbia made 23 league appearances for Monaco last season, finishing with an average of 3.1 tackles and 2.5 interceptions.
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (via WhoScored).
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