Bayern Munich sign talented 16-year-old Croatian defender
- by croatiaweek
- in Sport
Bayern Munich has signed Croatian U-17 defender Ljubo Puljić from NK Osijek on Wednesday, on his 16th birthday.
The German club confirmed the signing on their official website, without revealing the financial details of the transfer.
NK Osijek will receive slightly less than a million euros as compensation, as revealed by transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, and with bonuses, the figure could rise to 2.8 million euros. Initially, Puljić will play for the Bavarian club’s youth team.
Ljubo is a strong defender with a determined approach. He has an excellent mentality and always gives his all on the field for his team. Moreover, he has a great character. We are very pleased that our scouting team, led by Florian Zahn, managed to swiftly finalize this deal and that Ljubo is moving to the campus,” said Hamit Altintop, the sports director of Bayern’s campus.
Servus, Ljubo! 👋
— FC Bayern Campus (@fcbayerncampus) May 31, 2023
Der #FCBayern hat das kroatische Innenverteidiger-Talent Ljubo #Puljić verpflichtet. Der U17-Nationalspieler wechselt zur neuen Saison vom NK Osijek an den #FCBayernCampus. ✍️✅
👉 https://t.co/2Oi6UnIIsL#MiaSanMia #FCBU17 pic.twitter.com/QBcxzmkzkw
If he meets the bonus criteria, it will be a record-breaking transfer for a Croatian football player under the age of 17. The previous record was held by Rocco Živković (18), who transferred from Istra to Salzburg for two million euros in early 2021 and now plays for the Liefering affiliate in the second division, where Roko Šimić also honed his skills.
Official: FC Bayern have completed the signing of Croatian talented centre-back Ljubo Puljić from NK Osijek. Transfer fee, less than €1m. 🔴🇭🇷 #FCBayern
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 31, 2023
Puljić joins on a long-term contract and he will be initially part of U17 team. pic.twitter.com/E42o1pQxsk
In Munich, Puljić will be alongside talented midfielder Lovro Zvonarek, who replaced Koprivnica with Bayern for 1.8 million euros last summer. He is a member of the reserve team competing in the fourth tier of German football.
Ljubo Puljić was born on May 31, 2007, in Vinkovci. He went through the Osijek youth categories from 2018 until today. He played all. He played all three matches for Robert Jarni’s team and scored a goal at the recent Euros in Hungary. Barcelona and Juventus also showed interest in him.
