La Liga giants Real Madrid started what is expected to be a busy summer transfer window with the confirmed signing of 21-year-old Eintracht Frankfurt striker Luka Jovic.
The club confirmed it has signed Jovic to a five-year contract pending a physical. While the terms of the deal were not included in the brief release, it is widely reported that Jovic cost Real Madrid in the vicinity of $67.5 million.
“Luka Jovic is a big loss for us,” said Frankfurt sporting director Fredi Bobic who also confirmed the deal. “His explosiveness and scoring skills have been showcased throughout Europe and we’ve benefited from his goals and contributions over the past two years. But for us it was clear that there was a financial threshold. For Eintracht Frankfurt this is a good and important transfer. We wish Luka only the best for his future. He has the best qualifications for a great career, and we are proud that we were able to support him along the way.”
The Serbian youngster, who owns four international caps to his name, scored 27 goals in 48 appearances across all competitions for Frankfurt last year, including 17 league goals in 32 games plus another 10 in 14 Europa League matches. He announced his presence with a massive five-goal game against Fortuna Dusseldorf in mid-October and was a force in European play as Eintracht Frankfurt reached the semifinals of the competition before falling to eventual winners Chelsea on penalties.
Jovic began his career in the youth system of Red Star Belgrade in his native Serbia and made his way to the senior squad where he spent two years where he made 48 appearances as a teenager. He was sold to Benfica in the winter of 2016 in controversial fashion - Football Leaks exposed dirty third-party dealings involving Cypriot side Apollon Limassol - for a deal of around $8 million.
He then found himself on loan at Eintracht Frankfurt on a two-year loan with the German club who made the move officially permanent this summer by activating an $8 million clause. That allowed Eintracht to enjoy the financial windfall of a massive deal to Real Madrid.
The Real Madrid summer is expected to be a busy one, with Zinedine Zidane leading a rebuild that is also targeting the likes of Eden Hazard and Eder Militao.