Barcelona are a work in progress this summer as after failing to lift the La Liga title or the Champions League title, they are now in a spot of bother, also going into the new season with a new manager.

The Catalan giants have replaced Luis Enrique with Ernesto Valverde, the former Atletico Bilbao coach and are now looking high and dry for players who can improve the squad this summer.

This has seen the club linked with some of the finest stars in Europe and one such player who they now want is Mateo Kovacic.

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It is not often that the La Liga giants look at a player from the squad at the Bernabeu but it is now understood that Valverde has made the former Inter Milan man a priority this summer.

According to reports from Spanish outlet Don Balon, Kovacic is now a top transfer target for the Camp Nou outfit this summer.

The Croatian midfielder has not been able to establish his place in the first team under Zinedine Zidane and could be looking for an exit and it is understood that Barcelona are desperate for his signature

The likes of Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Casemiro were used ahead of the 23-year old in the previous season and reports claim that Valverde is determined to make him his first signing with Barcelona.

However, it has been a long time since a player from one of the Spanish sides moved to their arch rivals, Luis Figo being the most high profile case and the report claims that Kovacic is reluctant to leave the Spanish capital to move to Catalonia.

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Having moved to the Bernabeu back in 2015, Kovacic is expected to replace Luka Modric in the first team in a year or two and has a decent role in the plans of the manager at Real Madrid.

Zidane may yet be adding another midfielder to the squad but Kovacic will not be looking forward to shifting clubs, especially to the Camp Nou.

However, Barcelona also have other options in their mind with the likes of Marco Verratti and Ander Herrera on the wish-list but Kovacic might remain a priority.