Martino confirms Barcelona signing of teenager Halilovic from Dinamo Zagreb

Published Mar. 1, 2014 10:13 a.m. ET

foxsports

Barcelona boss Gerardo Martino has confirmed that teenage midfielder Alen Halilovic will join the club from Dinamo Zagreb.

The highly-rated 17-year-old had previously announced via Instagram that he would be moving to the Spanish champions and he will initially link up with the club's B team.

A host of European giants including Manchester United, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich were all reportedly monitoring the youngster's progress.

Halilovic has been dubbed the 'Balkan Messi' and Martino says that talks have been ongoing for a number of years.

"These negotiations, or the bid to sign this player, started in 2010," he said.

"He's coming here to play for the B team."