Manchester United are following the progress of Croatia youth international Dino Klapija.
According to The Mail, Manchester United are keen on teenager striker Dino Klapija.
The striker, 16, plays for in his homeland and is attracting attention from Manchester United, Chelsea, Barcelona, Juventus, RB Leipzig and AC Milan.
RB Leipzig are reported to be the favourites, and hold an advantage over Manchester United due to Klapija’s age.
Manchester United cannot sign Klapija until he turns 18, due to Brexit.
The club could conceivably strike a deal for Klapija and then loan him out, however, United have not yet done this with any youth talent since the rules were introduced.
READ: Confirmed Manchester United transfers in, out, loans, releases, youth for 2023/24
Dino Klapija: Five facts
1) Dino Klapija plays for NK Kustosija, after leaving Dinamo Zagreb’s academy, envisioning a quicker route to first team football.
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2) Klapija was born in the USA and was originally part of New York City FC academy before making the switch to his homeland.
3) The teenager represent USA at under-16 level before switching to Croatia, where he has two caps at under-17 level.
4) Klapija is currently under contract at NK Kustosija until June 2026.
5) He is yet to play a senior game for his club, but The Mail report he is now training with the first team.
Manchester United need strategy for young foreign signings
As mentioned, Manchester United are now restricted when it comes to signing young players from abroad.
It was a move like this which saw United land Alejandro Garnacho when he was just 16 in 2020 before the rules came in.
United have invited youngsters from abroad over for trials, showing them around Carrington, however, at present, they simply have to wait until they reach 18, when they may be more expensive, or have already been snapped up.
One option for United is to find a foreign club abroad to partner with to send players out on loan to, or even simply agree to loan the players back to their parent clubs to develop until they are 18.