Real Madrid midfielder Mateo Kovacic will reportedly join Serie A giants Roma on a season-long loan deal and the deal is said to be imminent, according to Italian publication La Gazzetta dello Sport (via Football Espana).
The 22-year-old joined Real from Inter last summer in a reported €29m deal but the Croatia international struggled to make an impression in his debut season; being restricted to just 8 starts in La Liga.
The youngster was signed by former boss Rafa Benitez but after his sacking and Zinedine Zidane's appointment in January, his limited appearances became even more scarce with the Frenchman favouring the midfield three of Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, and Casemiro.
It now appears the Croat's future lies away from the Bernabeu for next season at least after it was reported Roma sporting director Walter Sabatini travelled to Madrid to thrash out a deal to bring the 22-year-old to Rome.
The deal to sign Kovacic, who reportedly rejected a move to Juventus and AC Milan, is thought to be a direct response to the departure of star midfielder Miralem Pjanic to the Serie A champions Juventus for a reported £25.4m deal.
Kovacic will be hoping to impress his new employers as part of Croatia's Euro 2016 squad. The dark houses for the tournament got off to a positive start after a comfortable 1-0 win over Turkey courtesy of a stunning strike from his Real Madrid teammate Luka Modric and come up against the Czech Republic next in Group D.