Borussia Dortmund just locked down a 16-year-old Croatian defender who was being chased by half the clubs in German-speaking football. Liam Claude Kanté, a centre-back from NK Lokomotiva Zagreb, is heading to BVB’s U19 setup after a transfer tug-of-war that saw Bayern Munich, Hoffenheim, and Red Bull Salzburg all come up short.
The deal and the competition
Kanté, born June 22, 2010, in Zagreb, Croatia, developed through the youth ranks at NK HAŠK before moving to NK Lokomotiva Zagreb for the 2024-25 season. The move to Dortmund was confirmed by German outlet Ruhr Nachrichten in early May 2026, though the transfer fee remains undisclosed.
The signing didn’t come out of nowhere. Respected transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano flagged Dortmund as the frontrunner back in April 2026, noting that multiple top-tier clubs were circling. Bayern Munich, the perennial domestic rival, was among those interested. So was Red Bull Salzburg, which has built its entire model around identifying and flipping young talent at massive markups.
Kanté has been part of Croatia’s U-15 international setup, which at his age signals that the national federation already considers him a future senior squad candidate.
