When Chelsea signed goalkeeper Matej Delać from Inter Zaprešić in September 2009, it signalled the start of a healthy working relationship between the two clubs.
According to reports in Croatian media this weekend, the two clubs are still in close contact and the Blues have keen interest in two of the club’s key players in their unpredictable rise to third in the league this season.
The main interest surrounds teenage forward Aleksandar Trajkovski, one of the revelations of the season so far. The Macedonian spent a week on trial with Chelsea last summer and scored during the Reserves’ successful Copa Amsterdam tournament, and in his debut season with Inter has been one of the club’s shining lights.
Sportal.hr also reports that there is interest in Ivan Blažević, a central midfielder who has recently broken into their first team, and has been likened to Luka Modrić due to his slight build and technical ability.
Sportal cite an Inter director as the source for the reports, whilst noted youth scout Romeo Jozak of Dinamo told SN that his own club have a strong interest in Trajkovski and that any interest from clubs such as Chelsea would not be unwarranted, such is the striker’s talent.
At a time where the Blues’ scouting network and infrastructure is at a crossroads due to the imminent depature of Frank Arnesen and a number of key senior scouts around Europe, it comes as welcome news to learn that there is marked activity, and in particular in a region which is developing its fair share of young talent.
Just last month Assistant Manager Michael Emenalo was reported to have taken in the Dinamo vs Hajduk derby with an eye on Ante Vukušić as well as Milan Badel and Šime Vrsaljko, and whilst the club is rather clearly making large strides into the Brazilian market, it is undoubtedly keen on the next generation of Balkan talent.
(Many thanks to Igor for passing this information onto TheChels.net)