Manchester United and Liverpool are in contact with Real Madrid midfielder Mateo Kovacic.

Marca says Kovacic has made his stance as clear as ever he wants to go.

Real have been reluctant to lose the former Inter Milan man but are now could now be left with no choice.

A fee of £45m will be demanded, although Kovacic has plenty of potential suitors interested.

Rivals United and Liverpool may battle it out for the Croatian's signature with less than three weeks left to go in the Premier League window.

It is said the two English giants are among the clubs to have shown an interest and offered a more important role in their respective squads.