Lazio Planning to Poach Young Croatian Defender Likened to Alaba

Lazio are reportedly plotting a move for Ante Simovic, a Croatian teenager who has been developing his game at Hajduk Split.

Ante Simovic Background & David Alaba Comparisons

The 17-year-old started his career at NK Primorac’s academy before joining his hometown club, Zadar, in 2022. A year later, the young defender signed for Hajduk Split, who is considered the biggest club in Croatia alongside their rivals, Dinamo Zagreb.

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Simovic currently features for the club’s U17 side, and is deemed to be one of the most exciting young centre-backs in the country. His technical skills and left foot earned him comparisons to Austria captain David Alaba, who briefly linked with a move to Lazio in September, but eventually completed a free transfer to Udinese.

Lazio Enter the Race for Simovic

According to TuttoMercatoWeb, Lazio are keeping close tabs on Simovic, as they look to bolster their youth ranks with promising young defenders. Curiously, the Biancocelesti had signed a Croatian defender in the summer, bringing in Josip Sutalo on loan from Ajax with an option to buy at the end of the season.

Lazio Already Well-Equipped at the Back

Despite selling their best two defenders in the summer (Mario Gila and Alessio Romagnoli), Gennaro Gattuso now has four solid centre-backs to choose from, as Sutalo, Oliver Provstgaard, Diogo Leite, and Danilho Doekhi are currently vying for two starting roles. Moreover, Felipe Bordon (21) and his younger brother Ricardo (19) are knocking on the first team’s door.