Inter Milan chief Piero Ausilio has paid tribute to Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic.

Ausilio oversaw the sale of Kovacic to his parent club Real Madrid.

He said, “Kovacic is one of those football talents you can't help but fall in love with. Everyone likes him. We had thoughts about bringing him back from Real Madrid, but nothing concrete, because the conditions for a deal just weren't there and we didn't even make a formal offer.

“Having said that, we won't rule out the possibility of working with a player like him in future."