Aston Villa have completed another piece of transfer business on Deadline Day, to secure to services of highly-rated youngster Matija Sarkic from Belgian giants Anderlecht, with the transfer fee being an undisclosed one for the talented goalkeeper.
The 18-year-old has joined on a three-year contract deal, and is their 12th signing of the summer - where they've spent £50million pounds on acquisitions for both the immediate first-team plans as well as the youth ranks too.
Sarkic will join Villa's U21 side
The Montenegrin youth international will slot into the under-21's team at Bodymoor Heath, having come through the youth ranks in Belgium - where he played for their U19 side last term as he attempts to gain experience and continue his development. Although his progress in his young age has gone un-noticed by many European media outlets, and the transfer itself does not seem too important, he has European pedigree and will give the west Midlands' youngsters a much-needed boost as they aim for league success this campaign.
On the international front, he featured during Montengro's U17 campaign at the 2013 European Championships, and has been called up into the U21 squad for their European Championship qualifier in Moldova, which starts later on this week.
Encouraging transfer news for Villa fans
It's an encouraging piece of news for Villa fans, because they've got another promising player in their ranks with the likes of Easah Suliman and Jordan Lyden progressing well. The current first-choice for the U21's at the moment, Jed Steer, is in-fact 21-years-old himself, so the Englishman will be hoping to assert his own first-team credentials in the not-too-distant future.
He'll be competing with Bradley Watkins for a regular starting place in Gordon Cowans' squad - where Villa are currently third in Division Two of the U21 Premier League, where the likes of Arsenal and Swansea City also feature two.