Barcelona and Real Madrid have lost the race to sign 17-year-old Serbian prodigy Matija Popovic, who will join AC Milan in January.
According to Gianluca Di Marzio, Matija Popovic will join AC Milan in the January transfer window. Barcelona and Real Madrid were also keen on signing the 17-year-old attacking midfielder. But he will move to San Siro on a free transfer after his contract with Partizan Belgrade expires on December 31.
Matija Popovic: A Serbian Wonderkid
Matija Popovic has taken age-group football by storm in Serbia during his formative years. In particular, the youngster’s stint with Partizan Belgrade has seen his come leaps and bounds despite spending only two years at the club. A versatile attacker, he can reprise the no. 10 role while also playing as a winger and a striker.
Popovic currently turns out for Partizan Belgrade’s under-17 team and has amassed a solid record for the team. The 17-year-old highly-rated attacker has 21 goals and five assists in 25 appearances thus far for his side. But Partizan Belgrade will lose the Serb as a free agent at the end of the year. And his next destination will be AC Milan.
AC Milan Calling?
AC Milan joined the race to sign Matija Popovic last month. But they have wasted no time to turn his head and beat other European bigwigs to his signature. The player’s qualities should make him a long-term solution in the final third for the Rossoneri. But they should initially assign him to their reserve team.
Meanwhile, Barcelona and Real Madrid were also keen on signing the 17-year-old highly-rated attacking midfielder. The two La Liga heavyweights are renowned for constantly scouring the market for high-profile prodigies. They have traded blows for many promising prospects in the last few years, including Pablo Torre and Endrick.
Matija Popovic could have been a solid long-term offensive solution for Barcelona and Real Madrid. But AC Milan’s interest turned the youngster’s head, and he will officially complete a free transfer on January 1.
It will be interesting to see who Barcelona and Real Madrid turn to after losing the race to secure Popovic’s services. But the two La Liga club’s loss is AC Milan’s gain, with the 17-year-old highly-rated midfielder set to continue his career in Italy.
