Tottenham and Newcastle are both said to have joined the race to land Serbian teenage sensation Andrija Maksimovic, according to a report from TBR Football.
Maksimovic, who is just 17-years-old, has been highly touted as one of the ‘top young prospects in world football’, having already broken into the first team with FK Crvena Zvezda – also referred to as Red Star Belgrade - which has put a plethora of European teams on notice, including that of Atlético Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and Juventus, among others.
Furthermore, TBR’s report has also suggested that ‘more than half’ of teams in the Premier League have ‘checked’ on him, including those of Liverpool and Chelsea.
Tottenham and Newcastle Have Joined the Race
Both Premier League clubs have good track records of signing, and developing, young talent
Maksimovic operates as an attacking midfielder for Crvena Zvezda, and has already made seven first team appearances – two of which have come in the UEFA Champions League - in which he has recorded two assists. This saw him handed his international debut earlier this month, with him having earned two caps, totaling 42 minutes played.
Spurs have developed quite the track record of identifying young talent and giving them opportunities, with Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall and Will Lankshear all seeing some minutes under Ange Postecoglou this season, while not forgetting to mention 17-year-old Mikey Moore, who was likened to Neymar Jr. by teammate James Maddison after his stellar display in the Europa League last week.
Similarly, Newcastle have a plethora of talent under the age of 21 that feature regularly for Eddie Howe, with Lewis Miley, Tino Livramento and Lewis Hall having all come up the ranks over the last few seasons, while they added to their pool with the signing of William Osula from Sheffield United over the summer.
As such, both Premier League clubs could be seen as a good fit for Maksimovic, unlike that of some other interested parties like Chelsea, who have a big squad already, and thus, would likely struggle to carve out some minutes for him.
Regardless of the abundance of interest in the teenager, should Maksimovic strike a deal with a new club, he is not able to leave Serbia until next summer, after he turns 18.