Real Madrid completed the transfer of midfielder Mateo Kovacic on Tuesday, with the 21-year-old moving from Inter Milan to the Bernabeu in one of the summer’s surprise switches.

The six-year deal was confirmed by Madrid and tweeted by Eurosport:

The Croatia international is widely regarded as one of the most promising youngsters in the world, and ESPN’s Musa Okwonga believes Los Blancos have made an excellent signing:

Kovacic broke through at the young age of 16 with Dinamo Zagreb before moving to Inter in 2013, where he quickly established himself as a top-class creative midfielder. The Nerazzurri were hoping to build their new squad around his incredible talents, but financial fair play sanctions forced their hand, as reported by Sky Sports.

Manager Roberto Mancini confirmed the FFP sanctions were directly responsible for the sales of both Kovacic and Xherdan Shaqiri this summer, as reported by Sport Mediaset (h/t FourFourTwo‘s Adam Digby):

Inter invested heavily in AS Monaco’s Geoffrey Kondogbia, signing the France international in June, and from that moment, a sale of Kovacic seemed like a real possibility. Liverpool were widely seen as the favourites to land his signature, but their offer of £14 million was rejected earlier this summer, per Tuttomercatoweb (h/t Daily Express‘ Anthony Chapman). 

As talented as the youngster is, his Inter career has been one filled with highs and lows. Kovacic had a promising start with the Nerazzurri, but his performances took a hit during the 2014-15 campaign, as explained by David Amoyal, a translator for Gianluca Di Marzio:

To me prospects like Mateo Kovacic are like the briefcase from “Pulp Fiction”- he’s a blank canvas that allows us to project what we want on him, the uncertainty makes him more exciting. Now that Kovacic is on his way to Real Madrid for a reported €35 million plus bonuses you can look at it in two ways- he could either be the new Coutinho or Inter got a great return (more than double what they paid for him) for a player who never became a full time starter under two different coaches on a team that wasn’t very good.

Despite being benched by both Mancini and Walter Mazzarri during the 2014-15 season, Kovacic still improved on his statistical output, scoring a career-high five goals, per WhoScored.com. He only managed three assists, but that number was influenced by the lack of talent around him, as Inter once again put together a disappointing campaign.

For Real, an investment in Kovacic is an investment in the future. The Croat is unlikely to push any of the regular starters going into the 2015-16 campaign, and instead, he’ll provide cover for the likes of Isco, James Rodriguez and compatriot Luka Modric.

He might be a potential long-term replacement for Modric, although so far in his career, he’s played his best matches in a more advanced role.

Regardless, what Kovacic needs most to continue his development is minutes, and after a rocky end to his tenure with Inter, a change of scenery might do him good. The Croat’s talent and potential are undeniable, and if Los Blancos show patience with their new acquisition, Kovacic could be a massive signing for them down the line.

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