Igor Matanović went from a relatively quiet €8 million signing to one of the most sought-after young strikers in Europe in roughly 12 months. Now Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, and Fiorentina are all circling the 23-year-old Croatian forward as the summer transfer window winds down.
The three-way pursuit, reported by La Gazzetta dello Sport, has intensified in the final stretch of the window, with each club eyeing Matanović for different but equally pressing reasons. His current market valuation sits at €22 million, according to Transfermarkt, nearly tripling the fee Freiburg paid Eintracht Frankfurt just last summer.
A breakout season in Breisgau
Matanović’s case for a move to a bigger club is built on a simple foundation: goals. He netted 15 in all competitions during the 2025/26 campaign, with 11 of those coming across 31 Bundesliga appearances. For a player making his first full season at Freiburg, those are the kind of numbers that make scouts start clearing their schedules.
Freiburg reached the Europa League final this past season, and Matanović was a significant part of that run.
