6 players PL clubs could sign from Croatia vs Spain Nations League final
Croatia and Spain face off in the third-ever Nations League final on Sunday evening.
Zlatko Dalic's Croatia, who finished third at the World Cup, booked their place in the final by securing a thrilling 4-2 victory over hosts Netherlands. Luka Modric scored a 116th-minute penalty to earn victory after Andrej Kramaric, Mario Pasalic and Bruno Petkovic struck earlier on for Croatia.
As for Spain, they snuck past Italy 2-1 in a cagey semi-final thanks to Joselu's 88th-minute strike. Spain took the lead early on through Yeremy Pino, before Ciro Immobile levelled from the spot. However, ex-Stoke forward Joselu was in the right place at the right time to secure the victory for Spain.
Ahead of Sunday's final, Mirror Football have taken a look at six players representing Croatia or Spain who Premier League clubs could sign this summer.
Dominik Livakovic
The 28-year-old goalkeeper has been linked with a move to the Premier League after impressing for Dinamo Zagreb domestically and in the Champions League. Dominik Livakovic kept a clean sheet for The Blues as they earned a 1-0 win over Chelsea in September and was part of the Croatia side that reached the World Cup semi-finals.
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Mirror Football reported back in April that Manchester United were interested in signing Livakovic as they tried to replace the outgoing David de Gea. Livakovic has a release clause of £8.9million and the Red Devils were prepared to pay that, while Chelsea and Brentford have also been tipped to sign Livakovic.
Mateo Kovacic
The first player that could move between Premier League clubs this summer is Mateo Kovacic. The 29-year-old is close to joining treble-winning Manchester City in a deal worth around £34million, having spent five years at Stamford Bridge. He has made over 200 appearances for the Blues.
Mateo Kovacic is on the brink of joining Manchester City (Getty Images)But, with Mauricio Pochettino set for a major overhaul of his bloated Chelsea squad, Kovacic could be amongst those to be sacrificed after spending £600m in the past 12 months. Kovacic would add more quality to the City squad and depth in the middle of the park.
David Raya
With one year left on his Brentford contract, David Raya is all but set to leave the club this summer. Tottenham are the frontrunners to sign the Spaniard as they try and replace the outgoing Hugo Lloris, while United have expressed an interest in Raya, who kept 12 clean sheets in 38 appearances last season.
When asked about his future on Saturday, Raya, 27, said in an interview with the Times : "I know there are rumours about me leaving. There are some options for me to go but obviously Brentford are asking for a lot of money. That could make clubs not want to buy me, it could make them look somewhere else.
"But if that's the value they give me then it's up to them. I have a year left on my contract and until then I'm a Brentford player, there's nothing I can do."
David Raya has been linked with a move to Tottenham (Getty Images)Rodrigo
Having scored 13 Premier League goals for relegated Leeds last season, Rodrigo is amongst the Championship players that are set for an instant return to the top-flight. The 32-year-old reportedly has a relegation release clause of only £3m and has attracted interest from the likes of Brentford and Crystal Palace.
Rodrigo told Radio Marca on his future last week: "I live in the real world, I have Instagram and friends who read the newspapers. I can't tell you much beyond what we all know because I don’t know. I am very focused on the National Team right now and on the following matches. Then, I don’t know what’s going to happen honestly, but I have a contract with Leeds and that has to be respected."
Ansu Fati
Barcelona winger Ansu Fati could potentially be used in a player-plus-cash deal for Ruben Neves. Xavi Hernandez is keen to sign the midfielder and may offload Fati to free some money. Fati scored seven goals and provided four assists in 36 matches for Barcelona as they regained the LaLiga title last season.
Wolves are looking at signing a new winger this summer and Fati could slot into Julien Lopetegui's side perfectly given his fast, direct approach. United, Chelsea and Arsenal have all been linked with the 20-year-old in the past but are unlikely to pursue a move in the transfer window.
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Ansu Fati could move to Wolves this summer (Getty Images)Jordi Alba
After confirming his departure from Barcelona last month, Alba has been linked with a shock move to the Premier League. Alba, 34, agreed to mutually terminate his contract a year early, having struggled for regular game time under Xavi this season, starting four of their final 15 LaLiga matches.
Alba told the Daily Mail earlier this week: "I never have thought about anything beyond LaLiga before because I was always so focused on Barcelona. But of course you see the Premier League, the atmosphere there.
"I talk to a lot of people from the national team who played in both leagues [Spanish and English] and they say that it’s special and I always had that idea that one day maybe… but I don’t know."
"I’m excited to still be in the national team and I want to stay in it for as long as the coach thinks it’s the right thing," he added. "As for a club, now I have to look for the best offer."
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