Indian Super League (ISL) side Mumbai City FC have signed 17-year-old defender Anwar Ali from I-League champions Minerva Punjab FC for a record-breaking transfer fee.
The defender who was a part of the Indian squad at the FIFA U-17 World Cup joins the ISL side for a transfer fee of INR 30 Lakhs, a record-breaking amount for a U-18 player.
According to AIFF’s (All India Football Federation) regulations, Anwar Ali is bound to play another season for the Indian Arrows side. This means that the defender will be playing in the I-League in the upcoming season and will only join the ISL club ahead of the 2019/20 season.
Minerva Punjab released a statement which read, “The historic deal inked between Minerva Punjab FC and Mumbai City FC will see Anwar Ali be the highest paid U-18 player in the country which includes 30 lakhs alone being paid to Apollo Minerva Punjab FC as the transfer fees. However, Mumbai City FC would need to wait for a season to avail the services of the Punjabi lad who would again be returning back to AIFF's Indian Arrows that plays in the Hero I-League to fulfil his commitments after which he would be available for selections.”
Anwar plied his trade with AIFF’s developmental side Indian Arrows last season in the I-League. He was on loan from Minerva Punjab and played a total of 15 matches in the I-League for Luis Norton de Matos’ side.
The defender hailing from Punjab joined the Minerva academy when he was 14 years old. Being is a core member of the Indian Arrows side along with Jitendra Kumar, Anwar is part of a formidable pairing at the heart of the defence.
Mumbai City FC, on Tuesday, confirmed the signing of Indian international defender Subhasish Bose from Bengaluru FC. They had earlier roped in veteran Indian defender Anwar Ali from ATK.
