Leeds United eye Dinamo Zagreb starlet Josko Gvardiol

As Marcelo Bielsa warms to the idea of signing another centre-back following the arrival of Robin Koch, exciting prospect Josko Gvardiol has been linked with a move to Leeds United.

The 18-year-old is the latest in a long list of talents to emerge from Dinamo Zagreb’s renowned academy, and would command a 20 million euro fee, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Despite having only made 29 appearances across all competitions since entering Zagreb’s senior team last year, the Croatian defender has already attracted the interest of a host of big clubs, including Bayern Munich and Manchester City.

He has been on the international scene since 2016, when he made three appearances for Croatia U14s, and has gone on to feature for their U16s, U17s, U19s and U21s.

Gvardiol has been brought up within a Zagreb side that builds up from the back, and is quickly developing into an impressive ball-playing defender who could excell under Marcelo Bielsa.

His recent development is highlighted by his 94% passing accuracy across all competitions this season, including 93.5% of his forward passes.

Similarly to Ben White, Gvardiol enjoys exploiting the open space in front of him, finding narrow corridors and taking the ball forward to generate chances, thus earning him comparisons with play-makers thanks to his composure and creativity.

He may lack experience, but the teenager already looks like a future star, and it is only a matter of time before a European giant snatches him up.