Eintracht Frankfurt sign Barcelona & Real Madrid target Jovic on permanent deal

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Eintracht Frankfurt sign Barcelona & Real Madrid target Jovic on permanent deal image

Eintracht Frankfurt have completed the full signing of Luka Jovic from Benfica, with the 21-year-old signing a four-year deal that ties him to the Bundesliga club until 2023 after the side exercised their option to buy the player outright for a reported fee of €7 million (£6m/$8m).

The in-form striker has attracted admiring glances from Europe's elite with his exploits this season - a campaign in which he has bagged 25 goals and six assists in 40 outings - with coach Adi Hutter admitting recently that big clubs have registered their interest.

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“Sure, top clubs like Real [Madrid], Barcelona, Bayern or Manchester City have thrown the fishing line at him," he said. “It's normal for us to find ourselves in this pool.”

Jovic, however, has put pen to paper with the German side, who will want to hold onto the young prospect despite the interest from outside.

“Luka's development is very pleasing for us and it was never in question as to whether we wanted to tie him to the club,” director Fredi Bobic stated in a press release.

“He is a player with extraordinary abilities. It is important to us that we have bound him to our club.”

Eintracht may be powerless to stop Jovic's exit in the summer, however, with the young attacker also having proved he can make the grade in Europe after scoring eight goals in the Europa League with his new club.

Indeed, such is Jovic's talent with both feet and his head, he has been compared to a certain Uruguayan currently leading the line in Catalunya.

"I would compare him to Luis Suarez, a classic striker with a good ball handling and a good understanding of the game," Serbia national team coach Mladen Krstajic told Goal earlier in April.

"Dangerous at any time because he is always on the lookout for his chance. He takes advantage of even the slightest carelessness of his opponents."

Should Jovic leave in the upcoming window, his new employers will no doubt be left wondering what could have been, but that would be offset by the massive profit they would make on his sale, with some suggesting the player would fetch as much as €60m (£52m/$68m) in the current market.

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