Real Madrid midfielder Mateo Kovacic is wanted by German club Schalke, according to reports in the Spanish press.
The Croatian international joined Los Blancos in the summer of 2015 and has won three Champions League titles among nine trophies in the time period since.
Previously linked to former club Inter and Milan, Marca now report the Bundesliga outfit have contacted Madrid in an attempt to sound out a deal.
The 24-year-old has started only 37 La Liga games across three seasons, and started only 10 in his most recent campaign, while Schalke are looking to replace the outgoing Leon Goretzka.
Kovacic joined the Spanish and European champions from Inter in 2015 in a €35m deal, having originally cost the Milanese giants €11m from Dinamo Zagreb.
