Inter Milan beat Barcelona to the signature of 18-year-old Croatian defensive gem – Report | OneFootball

FC Barcelona sporting director Deco has placed a lot of emphasis on signing developmental players for the reserve team, with a view to them joining the first-team set-up should they progress as expected.

The Portuguese director got it spot on with the signing of Roony Bardghji from Copenhagen in the summer for what now feels like a bargain. He continues to scour the market for more such players who can come in and have an impact.

According to SPORT, one player on Barcelona’s radar was Croatian defensive gem Leon Jakirovic, but Inter Milan have beaten the Catalan club to his signature, and the player is expected to continue his development in Italy.

The recently turned 18-year-old is a left-footed centre-back who has impressed with his performances so far. Inter have an agreement with Dinamo Zagreb for a fixed fee of around €2.5 million plus another €2 million in add-ons, according to Fabrizio Romano.

It was not just Inter and Barcelona who were interested, with RB Salzburg another club given the snub, despite their track record of developing young players. Belletti’s team are seeing a significant exodus this month.

Mamadou Mbacke has reached an agreement to return to MLS, while Andres Cuenca is also expected to join Como. The reserve side needs a reliable partner for Alvaro Cortes, and Jakirovic would have been a great addition.

However, now that it has emerged the Croatian teenager will not be moving to Barcelona due to financial fair play issues, it remains to be seen whether Deco sets his sights on other targets in the coming weeks.