Any player that gets labeled the "Serbian Messi" deserves a lot of attention. It's not often that players are compared to the great Lionel Messi at all, let alone described as younger versions of him. Needless to say, a lot of people are keeping an eye on Andrija Zivkovic right now, wondering what might be next for the 19-year-old winger who has already been so impressive in his career.
As the youngest player to ever make an appearance with the Serbian national football team-and the youngest team captain ever for Serbian club FK Partizan-Zivkovic is a soccer wunderkind. He led Partizan to victory in the Serbian SuperLiga last season and has kept the club a factor in the 2015 2016 Europa League. Indeed, Zivkovic is one of the top scorers in the competition so far-a fact that has made him a transfer target for many football clubs throughout Europe.
A Top Transfer Target
Andrija Zivkovic signed with Partizan in August 2013, inking a three-year deal with the club. That signing marked Zivkovic's first ever deal with a senior football club though he's come up through the Partizan youth program from 2009 to 2013.
Zivkovic's contract with Partizan will expire this coming summer and it's unlikely that the rising star will opt to stay in Serbia. While Partizan is the only football club that Andrija has ever known, the young player's title of "the Serbian Messi" is clear proof that bigger and better things await him elsewhere. The question is, where will "elsewhere" be?
The Possible Suitors
There have been so many rumors about different soccer clubs showing interest in Andrija Zivkovic so far that it's really difficult to tell which of those rumors have validity and which don't. It's also difficult to say 
whether Partizan will try to strike a deal to sell Zivkovic (and make a lot of money) during the winter transfer window, or wait until the summer and let him leave on a free transfer.
If a winter transfer deal is on the table, then Arsenal might be the most likely destination for "the Serbian Messi." The Gunners have had a solid season so far but are hurting due to their long list of injured players. The soccer club will reportedly target both Zivkovic and PSG's Zlatan Ibrahimovic, with the hopes of signing one or both to fill out the ranks. If Partizan are willing to let Zivkovic go, then Arsene Wenger will have the head start to sign him.
With that said, Arsenal are not the only soccer club that will be looking to ink a deal with Andrija in the near future. Other rumors have linked the young Serbian star 
with moves to Portugal (Benfica) or Spain (Atletico Madrid, Valencia, or Villarreal). Arsenal's London rivals, the struggling Chelsea FC, are also reportedly in the mix of suitors. In an interview with A Bola, a Portuguese publication, Zivkovic's manager Pedja Djordjevic said that the plan was to "analyze all the options we have and decide calmly."
Zivkovic and Djordjevic aren't the only ones with a big decision to make. Partizan will also have to analyze their options, weighing the pros and cons of keeping Zivkovic until the end of the season and selling him in January. As the club's top scorer, Andrija will be a key factor in determining whether or not Partizan can defend their SuperLiga title. They probably can't win the league without him, but they might be able to score a sizable fee (or even activate a bidding war) if they were willing to let him go during the winter transfer season.
Would you like to see "the Serbian Messi" sign with Arsenal this winter, or would you prefer to see him in the Atletico Madrid shirt 2015/16, or perhaps the Chelsea jersey? At Soccer Box, we have all of these shirts in stock, as well as other merchandise that can help you root for your favorite clubs as they assemble their lists of winter transfer targets.
