Manchester City open talks with Red Star over teenage starlet Andrija Radulovic
By Tom Gott
Manchester City have opened talks with Red Star Belgrade over a deal to sign 18-year-old winger Andrija Radulovic, who is understood to have been on their radar for over 12 months.
A Serbia youth international, Radulovic has impressed in Red Star's academy and has even made a splash in the senior setup, where he has bagged two goals and two assists in 13 appearances since making his debut in the summer of 2020.
Radulovic captured international attention in last season's UEFA Youth League, netting against Tottenham and creating another goal against Bayern Munich a few weeks later.
According to The Sun, it was that performance against Spurs that caught City's eye in November 2019, and after over a year of scouting the teenager, club officials finally pulled the trigger and opened talks with Red Star in March.
A nimble winger, Radulovic does his best work off the right but has filled in anywhere across the attacking line, even spending time as an emergency full-back when needed.
#onokad debituješ i postigneš gol!?
— FK Crvena zvezda (@crvenazvezdafk) June 6, 2020
Andrija Radulović!?⚪️#fkcz pic.twitter.com/EqDlDcLvPG
Should he join this summer, Radulovic is not expected to remain with City in the short-term. He could be loaned back to Red Star or shipped off to another side in the City Football Group, which includes sides like Girona and Troyes of Spain and France respectively.
City's pursuit of Radulovic is another example of their desire to hoover up some of the game's best talents. In the Serbian market, City have snapped up youngsters like Filip Stevanovic, Slobodan Redic and Ivic brothers Luka and Ivan, but that's just one of several countries which City have raided in the past few seasons.
Last summer, Spaniard Pablo Moreno joined Argentine Nahuel Bustos, Burkinabe Issa Kabore and Brazilians Yan Couto and Diego Rosa all sealed moves to City, who have returned to the Brazilian market in a big way already this year.
Fluminense winger Kayky has already confirmed a move to City worth in the region of £9m, with team-mate Metinho also expected to head to the Etihad Stadium in the near future.