Exclusive: Tottenham join Liverpool and other PL sides in race for one of the world's best young players, likened to Messi
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- Exclusive from Graeme Bailey
Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool have made quite a name for themselves on the youth transfer front in recent years.
Spurs have signed the likes of Pape Matar Sarr, Destiny Udogie, Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray, while the Reds have landed the likes of Harvey Elliott, Ben Doak and Rio Ngumoha.
Now, Tottenham and Liverpool have joined a highly-contested race for an exciting young forward, along the likes of Chelsea and Newcastle United, plus a host of European giants.
Tottenham, Liverpool, Chelsea and Newcastle all in Andrija Maksimovic race
The battle for Serbian starlet Andrija Maksimovic has already begun with some of Europe's biggest clubs looking into a prospective deal for the 17-year-old, TBR Football understands.
The Crvena Zvezda midfielder is seen by many as one of the top young prospects in world football.
Maksimovic has just broken into the Crvena first-team, whilst also been called up to the Serbian national side, and he already has two caps to his name.
Unsurprisingly there is also a host of Premier League sides who are looking closely at Maksimovic's progress and TBR Football is told that analytically the teenager has wowed many clubs.
Liverpool have been on Maksimovic's trail since the turn of the year, but since then Tottenham, Chelsea and Newcastle have also taken a keen interest – although we are told more than half the Premier League have checked on him.
On the continent, the likes of Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, Marseille, Juventus are amongst a raft of sides who are keeping close tabs on his progress.
If any club was able to strike a deal for Maksimovic, he would not be able to leave Serbia until next summer when he turns 18.
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Who is Tottenham, Liverpool, Chelsea and Newcastle target Andrija Maksimovic?
Maksimovic is a 17-year-old professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Crvena Zvezda (Red Star Belgrade) and the Serbia national team.
He came through the ranks at the Belgrade club and has already clocked up nine competitive senior appearances, as well as winning two caps for Serbia.
Football Talent Scout’s Jacek Kulig said Maksimovic is ‘the Crvena Zvezda’s (Lionel) Messi” and, in a scouting article, compared him to Colombia icon James Rodriguez.
Tottenham and Liverpool will certainly fancy their chances of signing Maksimovic, given the track record they both have in giving game time to youngsters and turning them into stars.
However, the likes of Chelsea and Newcastle will present stiff competition, with the Magpies potentially able to give him more game time.
And then there’s the multitude of European giants, all of whom will present strong pitches in order to convince him to sign for them.
