Manchester City will reportedly place Real Madrid midfielder Mateo Kovacic at the top of the transfer wishlist if they fail to land Jorginho from Napoli.
Negotiations between the Citizens and Jorginho's representatives have dragged on during the off-season, leaving the Premier League champions fearful that they will have to look elsewhere.
According to the Daily Mail, Kovacic is the next-best option for Pep Guardiola, while Southampton's Mario Lemina is a cheaper alternative if they are priced out of a move.
Kovacic, also linked with neighbours Manchester United, is currently preparing for the 2018 World Cup with Russia, meaning that talks are unlikely to take place until July.
The report indicates that City will wait to see if Napoli's stance softens in the next few days before deciding whether to continue in their quest to sign Jorginho or instead focus solely on Kovacic.
Written by
Daniel Lewis
Daniel Lewis
