Manchester City have reached an agreement with Hajduk Split to sign the highly rated 18-year-old central midfielder Ante Palaversa for an initial £7m.
The Premier League club have watched the Croatia Under-19 captain for some time now and is set to announce the signing in the next few days. Palaversa is set to remain with Hajduk until the summer and could potentially stay at his current club for one more season after that to continue his development.
Palaversa has made huge progress in the past few years, first in the youth teams at Hajduk but also, crucially, after making the step up to the first team last summer.
He is already rated as one of the best central midfielders in the Croatian league and is the outstanding prospect of Hajduk’s next generation. He has some similarities to Toni Kroos with his football intelligence and reading of the game setting him apart. At the moment he is playing as a No8 but could develop into an excellent No6, where, at the moment, City are heavily reliant on the 33-year-old Fernandinho.
Despite being only 18 he is extremely good at knowing when to stay behind and when to join in attack. He is an excellent passer of the ball and his technique is impressive while also being able to compete physically.
Observers in Croatia have also been impressed by his maturity and the fact that he seems very focused on his career, unlike some other young stars who have let the fame get to their heads at an early stage.