La Dea's talent factory strikes again! Atalanta snap up Croatia's 16-year-old gem

Atalanta continue to bet on the future better than anyone else in Italy.

Details: According to Fabrizio Romano, Atalanta have confirmed a deal agreed for Bartol Levacic for their academy. The 16-year-old Croatia U16 defender joins from Varazdin, continuing La Dea's tradition of recruiting the brightest young talents in Europe.

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The Bergamo club's academy is rightly considered one of the best in Italy: it produced Giorgio Scalvini and Matteo Ruggeri, with the latter having just been sold to Aston Villa after a season at Atlético Madrid, while Inter offered €45 million for 21-year-old defender Marco Palestra this summer. Levacic, a 191-centimetre centre-back born in 2010, is the next name on that prestigious conveyor belt.

Croatian football continues to supply Serie A with talent, and Varazdin have earned a reputation as a solid development club in recent years. For the teenager this is a dream move: a direct path to one of Europe's most reliable launchpads for young players. It's worth noting that Levacic has already been representing Croatia at U16 level and will now continue his development in Bergamo.

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