Inter Milan boss Roberto Mancini acknowledges Mateo Kovacic's imminent departure

Mateo Kovacic's move away from Inter Milan appears imminent after manager Roberto Mancini's acknowledgement that the Croatian will join Real Madrid.

Mancini left the talented midfielder on the bench during Inter's final preseason match following Sunday's bid from the Spanish club, which was reportedly accepted for a fee believed to be worth €35 million.

Kovacic's expected to undergo a medical Monday before completing his move to Madrid.

While Mancini and Inter would undoubtedly prefer to retain the 21-year-old, the club is apparently being forced to sell Kovacic to comply with Financial Fair Play regulations.

"Unfortunately there are financial fair play rules to respect and I don't think any of us wanted this, but to respect UEFA's parameters we had to do something," Mancini told Italian broadcaster Mediaset, courtesy of ESPNFC's Ben Gladwell.

"That does not mean we won't build a side capable of being competitive. We're all sad, from the president down to the players, but given these rules, you have to make sacrifices. I'm sorry if some people can't understand that."

The sale of Xherdan Shaqiri was made under the same circumstances, as Inter collected roughly €16 million when it sold the Swiss international to Stoke City last week.

"(Kovacic) and Xherdan Shaqiri have left for the same reason and now we can turn our attentions to something else," Mancini said. "Let's hope we can bring in some suitable players quickly because we've got to start playing now, even if the market closes at the end of August. Sacrificing two important players enables us to sign different players in positions where we are lacking."

The sale of the two players, however, gives Inter Milan the financial flexibility to pursue another talented Croatian midfielder. The club's set its sights on Ivan Perisic, 26, from VfL Wolfsburg.