Sport Bild Report: Bayern acquire rights to Croat phenom
Germany's main sporting tabloid is now confirming reports surfacing in the Croatian media concerning FC Bayern München's purchase of a young attacking prospect.
Sixteen-year-old attacking midfielder Lovro Zvonarek of Croatian first division side NK Slaven Belupo Koprivnica had been linked with German giants FC Bayern München as far back as late August. Some Croatian media sources said Germany's record champions settled with the Croat side on a transfer fee with bonuses and that only the signature of the player lacked.
According to Sport Bild, everything concerning the deal is now done. Bayern will pay a base transfer fee of €1.8 million for the teenage prospect, with potential performance bonuses pushing payments into the €5 million range. Incredibly, the 16-year-old has already made seven appearances for his club's senior side. He became the youngest goalscorer in Croatian history last spring only days removed from his most recent birthday.
The deal obviously won't see Zvonarek make the move to the FC Bayern campus immediately. Sport Bild notes that the FCB merely purchases future rights, with a set date for the switch to its youth academy coming in January 2022 at the earliest. Zvonarek's former coach Tomislav Stipic essentially confirmed the deal in the article, saying he arranged it with Bayern's head of scouting and player development Joachim Sauer.