Barcelona have been busy in the transfer market in recent weeks, and they are about to make Lovro Chelfi their second signing of the summer. The 18-year-old will arrive from NK Kustosija in the near future, with the La Liga champions having reached an agreement with the Croatian side.
As per Sport, Barcelona will pay €500k for 50% of Chelfi’s rights, and as part of the agreement, they will have option to purchase the remaining 50% in the next couple of years. In total, the operation could reach €2m.
Upon arrival, the expectation is that Chelfi will join Julian Beletti’s Barca Atleti side, who will be playing in the Second Federation – fourth tier of Spanish football – next season. However, he could have the chance to impress Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick as early as this summer, should he be taken on the club’s pre-season tour of Asia.
Barcelona have effectively closed the signing of Chelfi, as reported by MD. But while he is considered be one of the pearl of Croatian football, there is little known about him outside of his native country.
Born on the 30th of January 2007, Chelfi started in football with Croatian giants Dinamo Zagreb. He impressed during his time there, but 18 months ago, he was sold to NK Kustosija on a free transfer. And it is during this time that he came up on Barcelona’s radar.
Chelfi is an attacking midfielder, standing at 1.72m. He is classed as a playmaker with very good ball control, and although he is excellent at retaining the ball with his close dribbling, he is considered to be a strong team player that enjoys linking up with teammates. He is strong with both foot, and has good shooting ability – particularly from outside of the penalty area. And he is also adept on set-pieces.
It will be interesting to see how Chelfi gets on. He will effectively replace Noah Darvich in the Barca Atletic, who was also very highly-rated upon arrival at Barcelona, but his spell at the club ended in disappointment earlier this summer when he joined Stuttgart.
