Hatters smash club record transfer fee to sign Croatian goalkeeper Sluga

Luton have broken their club record transfer fee by signing Croatian goalkeeper Simon Sluga from HNK Rijeka in a deal worth over €1.5million.
Luton have smashed their transfer record to sign Croatian goalkeeper Simon SlugaLuton have smashed their transfer record to sign Croatian goalkeeper Simon Sluga
Luton have smashed their transfer record to sign Croatian goalkeeper Simon Sluga

The 26-year-old full international has put pen to paper on a three-year contract, subject to international clearance, with Town easily surpassing their previous highest fee paid to sign Lars Elstrup from Danish side Odense back in 1989.

Sluga started out at Jadran Poreč before moving to Rijeka in 2008, while also spending time in the youth set-up of Italian giants Juventus, and went on loan to Croa Pomorac and Lokomotiva, returning to Italy for a brief spell with Spezia.

Sluga isn't an unknown to some of the Town player, having come up against the 6ft 3in stopper during the pre-season friendly played against Europa League qualifiers Rijeka in Slovenia last summer.

Since then, Sluga, who won the domestic league title with Rijeka in 2016-17 and played in the subsequent two-legged Europa League win over AC Milan, has lifted the Croatian League Cup for the second time.

His form was enough to earn a call-up to the full Croatian side too, having played from U17 to U21 level for his country, making his senior debut during the 2-1 home defeat to Tunisia in a friendly last month.

Sluga had been attracting interest from Premier League and Championship clubs, as well as the German Bundesliga, but has opted to make Kenilworth Road his home, becoming the club's fifth signing of the summer after Callum McManaman, Martin Cranie, Ryan Tunnicliffe and Brendan Galloway all put pen to paper.

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