Real Madrid manager Julen Lopetegui has confirmed that Mateo Kovacic wants to leave the Santiago Bernabeu amid strong links to Chelsea.
The new Los Blancos boss hinted he is reluctant to let the Croatian midfielder go, but said the club would need to find a similar quality replacement if he does depart, per James Tyler of ESPN.co.uk:
"There's nothing 100 per cent certain. Mateo has said he wants to leave, I've said he is an important player. If he wants to leave, we'll look to find solutions. ... Obviously if Mateo does leave, we'd look for players of his level.