Liverpool's brilliant 2013 signing of Philippe Coutinho from Inter Milan for only £8.5 million has led to this summer's chase of Inter's next rising midfield star in Mateo Kovacic. The idea, which has been given far more weight in the Italian press than local papers, is that Inter once again have a talented young player on their hands who is struggling to fit into their team and Liverpool have a chance to swoop in for another bargain deal.
But even if a Kovacic bargain deal was once a thing -- which again depends on who you ask -- it no longer appears that the player is available for below market value. Gazetta dello Sport report that Inter now want £21.3 million for Kovacic, which is about what he's worth.
He's still considered available though, and if Brendan Rodgers wanted to add another midfielder he could look to enter talks with Inter. However, it's unlikely for Liverpool to pay so much for a luxury signing at this point in the transfer window.
It's also doubtful that Liverpool will make a midfield signing of any sort in the next two weeks even if Lucas Leiva is sold, as reliable reports have indicated that Rodgers is comfortable with his current set of midfield players. Probably best to not get too excited about this round of Kovacic rumours.