Tottenham beat Chelsea & Liverpool to signing of highly-rated teenage defender

Tottenham have beaten the likes of Chelsea and Liverpool in the race for highly-rated 16-year-old defender Luka Vuskovic, according to reports.

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However, Vuskovic is not expected to move to north London until the summer of 2025.

The 6ft 4in tall centre-back has been catching the eye of several of Europe’s biggest clubs since making his first-team debut for Hajduk Split back in February.

This was just two days after his 16th birthday, and since then he has gone on to make 11 appearances for his boyhood club, helping them win last season’s Croatian Football Cup.

He has also played the same number of games for Croatia at various youth levels.

Widely tipped to be a future superstar, interest in Vuskovic was high, with Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and PSG all trying to land his signature.

But in the end Spurs have secured his services, with the Evening Standard reporting that they have agreed a £12million fee with Hajduk, with personal terms all wrapped up.

But the defender is set to stay in Split for the next two years to continue his development and will only link up with the Lilywhites after his 18th birthday.

Centre-back was a position Ange Postecoglou was looking to improve over the summer, bringing in Micky van de Ven who has made an excellent impact at his new club.

But it is also an area they are a little short in, with Van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Eric Dier and 18-year-old Ashley Phillips the only players who naturally play there, though left-back Ben Davies can also fill-in, while Joe Rodon and Japhet Tanganga are out on loan.

Tottenham are unbeaten in the Premier League under their new manager after four games and are second in the table ahead of their next game against Sheffield United on Saturday.

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