Arsenal were the latest to be linked with moves for Dinamo Zagreb pair Sime Vrsaljko and Mateo Kovacic. Liverpool, Tottenham, Newcastle, Everton, Manchester United and Manchester City have previously been linked with the pair. So who are they?

The Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb has previous with British clubs courting their best players, with Eduardo and Luuka Modric both making moves to the Premier League in recent times.

Now it seems they have a job to deflect the coveting eyes of the Premier League once again as many reports link several English clubs with their two star players Sime Vrsaljko and Mateo Kovacic.

But what can we tell you about the individuals?

Sime Vrsaljko

1. Like Luka Modric before him Sime actually started his career with hometown club Zadar as a youth team player before moving to Dinamo Zagreb in 2006.

2. Like many Dinamo players the right-back was sent out on loan to feeder side Lokomotiva to gain first team experience, and it is here he made his professional debut against Rijeka aged just 17.

3. He made his debut for Dinamo in February 2010 against Croatia Sesvete and scored his first goal for the club in 2011 against Cibalia.

4. He can also operate at left-back and has represented Croatia at every youth level before his first senior appearance in 2011 in a friendly against the Czech Republic.

5. Dinamo turned down a £4million offer from Marseille this time last year and they are one of many teams including English trio Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham as well as continental interest from Italy, Spain and Germany linked with his signature.

Sime in action ….

Mateo Kovacic

1. Mateo Kovacic was born in Austria after his parents fled Bosnia in 1991 amidst the Yugoslavian War and he first played for LASK Linz before moving to Dinamo in 2007.

2. He turned down moves to Stuttgart, Ajax, Juventus and Bayern Munich to move to Croatia, as his parents wanted to move back to the Balkans and in particular Zagreb.

3. He suffered a severe leg break in 2009 but recovered well to make his debut for Dinamo in 2010. He scored making him the leagues youngest ever goalscorer at the age of 16 years and 198 days.

4. He has been nicknamed the ‘Croatian Messi’ because of his fast development and ability for one so young. This was highlighted with his goal against Lyon in last season’s Champions League that made him the second youngest goal-scorer in the competitions history behind Peter Ofori-Quaye.

5. Croatian under-17 manager Martin Novoselac claims he has not seen talent like this since former Real Madrid superstar Robert Prosinecki.

Here he is in action …

Would you like to see your club move for a double deal?

image: © jasonparis