Tottenham Hotspur have beaten Chelsea and Liverpool to the signing of highly-rated defender Luka Vuskovic after agreeing a £12m deal with Hajduk Split, according to Evening Standard.
The newspaper claims that the 16-year-old was attracting interest from several big clubs including Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, and Paris Saint-Germain but Spurs have won the race for his signature.
It’s reported that the North Londoners will pay around £12m for the highly-rated centre-back. Tottenham have already agreed personal terms with the player after a breakthrough in negotiations over the weekend.
Vuskovic will stay at Hajduk until he turns 18 before moving to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to continue his development. He has emerged as one of the best young players in Croatia following his assured performances for Hajduk.
Vuskovic has made 11 appearances and scored one goal for the first team since making his debut in a league derby match against Dinamo Zagreb in February this year.
Last season, he featured in 31 games and netted nine times for both the youth side and first team. He played a key role in helping Hajduk win the Croatian Cup and became the club’s youngest-ever goalscorer after scoring just days after his 16th birthday.
One for the future
Tottenham have shown in the past they can identify young talents and groom them to become top players in the future including the likes of Dele Alli, Harry Kane, Luka Modric, Gareth Bale, and many others.
Ange Postecoglou is known for nurturing and giving young players the chance to express themselves on the field of play as evidenced this season by the inclusion of Pape Matar Sarr, Destiny Udogie, and Micky van de Ven in his starting XI.
The trio have impressed so far this campaign, propelling Spurs to 2nd place in the Premier League after picking up 10 points from a possible 12, with just four matches played.
Vuskovic is expected to move to England in 2025 and with so much potential, he could become one of the best defenders in the world under Postecoglou.
Read more: Tottenham & Liverpool in battle to sign £20m star in cut-price January deal – report
