Exclusive: Man City and Man United both battling to sign two internationals including skilful playmaker

• EXCLUSIVE from Graeme Bailey

Both Manchester City and Manchester United are now in the mix for a young duo earmarked as the future of Croatian football.

Although Man City are currently enjoying the services of both Josko Gvardiol and Mateo Kovacic, Man United don’t have a famous dynasty of Croatian players on their records.

However, TBR Football understands that both Manchester clubs are amongst a host of sides doing their homework on Croatian starlets Petar Sucic and Martin Baturina.

Manchester clubs have both tracked Petar Sucic and Martin Baturina for 18 months

Dinamo Zagreb have been famous for producing some of the world’s best talents over the past few decades, including Ballon d’Or winner Luka Modric.

And now Sucic and Baturina are the two latest talents emerging in Zagreb.

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The Dinamo pair are both 21-years-old, and are already starring together at international level too, with both a firm part of Croatia’s squad.

Baturina and Sucic, along with his cousin Luka Sucic, who joined Real Sociedad this summer, are seen as the future of Croatian football.

And such is their talent, most of Europe are well aware of the progress being made by Baturina and Sucic by this point.

Martin Baturina already being compared to Luka Modric

On his part, attacking midfielder Baturina is on the radar of Barcelona and Real Madrid, a player who is often compared to Modric.

Whilst Sucic, who is a deeper-lying playmaker, was being watched by a number of German clubs over the summer including Bayer Leverkusen and RB Leipzig.

Portuguese giants Benfica, Sporting CP and FC Porto are also understood to have watched the duo in recent months.

TBR can confirm that both Manchester clubs have been tracking the pair consistently over the past 18 months, but they are not alone.

Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United, Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford have also spent time in Croatia at some point of this year.

Dinamo, for their part, have both players under contract until 2028.