AC Milan have reportedly set their sights on signing a former Inter Milan player from Manchester City.
After finishing eighth in Serie A an failing to qualify for European competition last season, the Rossoneri have made a strong start to the 2025-26 campaign and sit at the summit of the Italian top-flight standings after seven games.
Sporting director Igli Tare oversaw the arrival of 11 new signings in the summer, with over €150m spent to bolster Milan’s senior squad, but arguably the most high-profile of those additions was Luka Modric on a free transfer.
The 40-year-old opted to end his legendary association with Real Madrid to pursue a fresh challenge with Milan, where he has already amassed over 600 minutes across eight first-team appearances in all tournaments this term.
Modric provides invaluable experience to Massimiliano Allegri’s team and it has been claimed that the Croatian’s presence could ‘pave the way’ for the Rossoneri to lure one of the midfielder’s compatriots to San Siro in the near future.
According to Milan Live, Man City midfielder Mateo Kovacic has been targeted by Milan and the 31-year-old could join the Italian giants for an ‘affordable price’.
Kovacic has less than two years remaining on his contract at the Etihad Stadium and there appears to be no negotiations regarding a renewal at this stage.
It is claimed that Kovacic could leave Man City for as little as €10m (£8.7m) and his arrival at San Siro would represent a low-cost signing for Milan, although the player’s salary is currently too high for the Rossoneri and ‘would need to be negotiated’.
Kovacic, who spent two years at Inter before joining Modric at Real Madrid in 2015, has been identified by Milan as a potential replacement for Modric, who will be 41 at the start of next season.
However, Milan will also consider integrating both players into their senior side and ‘could play the Modric card’ to try and convince Kovacic to return to Milan, this time to the Rossoneri.
Since joining Man City from Chelsea in 2023, Kovacic has played 89 times for the Citizens and has won four trophies, including the 2023-24 Premier League title.
Kovacic made his first Man City appearance of the season as a late substitute in last weekend’s 2-0 win over Everton since undergoing Achilles surgery in the summer, and manager Pep Guardiola is pleased to welcome the midfielder back into the first-team fold.
“He has a special quality with the ball to keep it, but we cannot forget that he has come from surgery and had three or four months injured,” Guardiola told reporters when discussing Kovacic’s return.
“I don’t want Kovacic for 90 minutes, 90 minutes, 90 minutes. In time he will get it, but I don’t have the feeling that he is ready to play it now.
“For 20 minutes, 30 minutes, 60 minutes, Kova with [Bernardo Silva] and the older players, they are extraordinary, they are fantastic.”
Kovacic is in contention to start his first game of the season for Man City when they face Villarreal in Spain in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
