Manchester City are interested in signing Real Madrid midfielder Mateo Kovacic, reports The Daily Mirror.
The Premier League champions are struggling to get a deal over the line for Napoli ace Jorginho and are now considering their options.
City have been locked in transfer talks with Napoli since the end of last season but now league rivals Chelsea are attempting to hi-jack their move.
Chelsea are willing to pay more for Jorginho than City in order to land top managerial target Maurizio Sarri for nothing.
Pep Guardiola is only interested in signing players completely committed to joining City, which is why he pulled the plug on a deal to sign Alexis Sanchez in January.
Kovacic has already conceded he will consider his Madrid future after the 2018 World Cup after struggling for regular playing time during his time at the club.
The Croatia international is a hugely talented midfielder and strong runner with the ball and now City have enquired about his availability.
Yaya Toure left City at the start of the month and Guardiola is desperate to sign a long-term replacement for Fernandinho, who turned 33 in May.
Of the 109 players that have attempted at least 75 dribbles in the last two La Liga campaigns, Kovacic has the best success rate (84.1%).
