As the Croatian midfield impresses the world on the biggest stage of all, Barcelona are tracking the next in line to the throne at Dinamo Zagreb.
Todofichajes say that the Blaugrana scouting 19-year-old midfielder Martin Baturina, who has broken into the first team at Dinamo Zagreb. Despite his youth, Baturina has played in five of their six Champions League group stage games this season and all of their qualifying round matches. In the Croatian league, he has 15 appearances, three goals and four assists.
In each game that Baturina has played the full match (88 minutes or more), he has provided a goal contribution for Dinamo. He also has eight caps for the Croatian under-21 side. Making his debut for Dinamo in 2021, last season he racked up over a 1,000 minutes, but has already surpassed that total this campaign.
Like Ivan Rakitic or Luka Modric, Baturina is comfortable playing anywhere in midfield and able to adapt to the role asked of him. However he stands out for his vision, ability to set the tempo and provide the final pass.
Barcelona are under financial pressure currently and will not be able to put a significant fee on the table, but they have shown a willingness to invest in young talent. The signing of Pablo Torre last summer represents a conscious effort to find players that can develop and push through into the first team.
