Hajduk Split’s Croatian starlet has already jetted in for a medical at Tottenham Hotspur as he closes in on a £9 million move to the Premier League giants.
As Sportske Novosti are at pains to point out, however, this is not going to be a straight swap deal between 16-year-old Luka Vuskovic and a man nearly two decades his senior.
Vuskovic, one of the most coveted young defenders in European football is on his way to Tottenham Hotspur despite interest from Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and co, with Ivan Perisic potentially heading in the other direction.
The two deals will be negotiated independently of each other, however; Perisic not part of the talks regarding a deal that brings Vuskovic to Tottenham to the tune of 10 million euros.
Tottenham Hotspur set to seal Luka Vuskovic deal
The report adds that Vuskovic, who became the youngest goalscorer in Hajduk Split history when he found the net just five days after his 16th birthday, will undergo a medical in London before signing a long-term contract with Ange Postecoglou’s side.
Vuskovic and his family have already jetted into the English capital; an official announcement potentially just days away.
Perisic, meanwhile, may have to wait until he becomes a free-agent in the summer of 2024 before sealing a return to the club where he started his professional career. The veteran winger remains a key part of Postecoglou’s plans, having featured in all four of Spurs’ Premier League games under the former Celtic boss.
“As you well know, Ivan Perisic has one more year left on his contract with Tottenham,” Mindaugas Nikolicius, Hajduk’s sporting director, told Dnevnik NoveTV in August.
“Of course, we are monitoring the situation. And I can honestly say that we will try everything in our power (to sign him).
“I wouldn’t want to reveal (the nature of the talks), in terms of who is talking to whom and in which direction it is going.”
Ivan Perisic likely to leave Spurs in 2024
Vuskovic, already a mountain of a man at 6ft 4ins, is likely to return to Hajduk on loan before finally joining Spurs’ first-team squad when he turns 18.
“I’m glad that our coaches made a great player. I wish him all the best (if Vuskovic joins Tottenham),” smiles Boro Primorac, the long-serving Arsenal coach who now works as the head of Hajduk Split’s academy (24Sata).
“The most important thing is that he plays. He is training with us, which is important for both Hajduk and Croatian football. I don’t know what is happening with the transfer.
“(But) it’s nice that Croatian players reach big clubs, like (Josko) Gvardiol and (Luka) Modric.”
