Revealed: Barcelona, Real Madrid & Dortmund want 17-year-old Serbian wonderkid

13 Oct 2023 17:37 BST
3 min read

Barcelona, Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund are all interested in signing Serbian teenager Matija Popovic, according to reports.

Popovic, 17, currently plays for FK Partizan Belgrade in his homeland but he is yet to make his debut for the senior side.

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Regardless, his form at youth level has attracted the attention of some of Europe’s biggest clubs.

Popovic scored 20 goals and provided five assists in just 24 appearances for Partizan Belgrade’s youth team last season.

The 17-year-old can play as an attacking midfielder or as a winger and the major thing to note is that his contract at Partizan is due to expire on 31 December 2023. As a result, he will be available to purchase on a free transfer during the January transfer window.

His delicate situation at Partizan Belgrade has caught the attention of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Dortmund, with all three clubs keen on signing him, according to Gianluca Di Marzio.

However, the player reportedly wants to take his time to decide his next destination amid serious transfer interest across the continent.

The race is currently wide open, with a battle to sign Popovic set to commence this winter.

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Who will Popovic join?

Real Madrid, Barcelona and Dortmund have all given youth a chance in recent years and Popovic could become the latest youngster to make an impact.

Real Madrid have given Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo, Eduardo Camavinga and Jude Bellingham the platform to shine recently, while Fran Garcia and Arda Guler both joined this summer.

Barcelona have promoted Pedri, Gavi and Lamine Yamal to their first-team over the past few years, while Borussia Dortmund have become renowned for their youth development.

Jamie Bynoe-Gittens and Youssoufa Moukoko are the latest wonderkids to breakthrough into the Dortmund first-team, with Jadon Sancho and the aforementioned Bellingham among their predecessors.