Leon Jakirović Scout Report: Inter U-23’s Croatian Centre-Back
Summary Not Found.
I have followed Leon Jakirović since his Dinamo Zagreb academy days. The left-footed centre-back, born in Požega, made his HNL debut on 18 May 2024 at 16, played against Milan in the Champions League on 29 January 2025 at 17 and joined Inter on 26 January 2026 for a fixed fee of 2.5 million euros. He plays for the club’s U-23 side in Serie C. This season he has made 8 to 9 Serie C appearances and one assist; in mid-October he started away at Monopoli. In early November Chivu called him up for first-team matches. This file assesses the 18-year-old defender using public data. It contains no transfer recommendation.
GP SCOREAn 18-year-old left-footed Croatian centre-back who has played in the HNL and the Champions League for Dinamo Zagreb and is building Serie C experience with Inter U-23.
I could not reach detailed passing or ball-progression data for Jakirović; the FBref page blocks automated access and advanced Serie C statistics are limited in public sources. The concrete data are these: according to Besoccer he is left-footed and 98 per cent of his appearances are logged at centre-back, 2 per cent at left midfield. That points to a left-footed centre-back suited to building play, though the reading rests more on position split than on measured output. At Dinamo he broke through very early for his age: 3 HNL games and 1 Champions League game, 4 official appearances in all, no goals. For Inter U-23 this season he has no goals and one assist in 8 to 9 Serie C games. Match-video analysis that could strengthen the technical assessment is outside the scope of this file.
The clearest tactical data point is his usage. According to Besoccer he has played 735 minutes in 10 official games this season: 724 in 9 Serie C games and 11 in one Serie C Cup game. That is about 73 minutes a game and suggests use closer to a regular starter than a rotation player. Dongqiudi lists his latest recorded game as the 2-4 defeat away at Monopoli on 17 October 2026, which he started. L’Interista reported on 9 November 2026 that Chivu had included him in the first-team squad for the Fiorentina and Venezia matches; the article does not say whether he played. I found no verified information on his exact role in the team, the defensive system used or whether he plays on the right or left of the back line.
Besoccer lists his measurements as 191 cm and 65 kg, and Wikipedia gives 1.91 m. That height-to-weight ratio points to a slim frame; strength in duels and in the air will be worth watching at 18 against adult Serie C forwards. I found no reliable source for pace, jumping or duel data. He has one yellow card this season and no red. I found no public report of an injury, though that does not mean he has had none. He has 19 caps for Croatia across age groups: 2 at U-15, 13 at U-17 and 4 at U-18. He was in the squad for the 2025 FIFA U-17 World Cup, where Croatia went out in the round of 32.
Dinamo Zagreb: HNL 3 games (debut 18 May 2024, Slaven Belupo 3-2), Champions League 1 game (29 January 2025, Milan 2-1); 4 games in total, 0 goals. Inter U-23 2026-27: Serie C 8-9 games (Dongqiudi and Flashscore 8, Diretta 9, Soccerway 6, Besoccer 9), 0 goals, 1 assist; Serie C Cup 1 game; total 10 games, 735 minutes, 1 yellow card (Besoccer). Appearance counts differ between sources, so I give the high and low figures together. National team: U-15 2, U-17 13, U-18 4 games, no goals. Contract expiry is 30 June 2028 on Soccerway and 30 June 2030 on Besoccer; the club announcement only refers to a long-term deal. Transfer: 26 January 2026, 2.5 million euros fixed, up to 2 million in bonuses, a 10 per cent sell-on for Dinamo (Fabrizio Romano and Lorenzo Lepore). Market value is not given because sources disagree.
Strengths
The first is his age-to-level ratio; the HNL at 16 and the Champions League at 17. The second is his left foot, a relatively scarce trait in the centre-back line. The third is height; at 1.91 m he has the aerial reach the position needs. The fourth is playing time; more than 700 minutes in Serie C at 18 this season. The fifth is the confidence of Inter’s management; a first-team call-up on top of his U-23 games.
Weaknesses and Development Areas
The first development area is physical strength; at 65 kg his frame is not yet settled against adult forwards. The second is attacking contribution; he has no official goal in his career. The third is results; he started when Inter U-23 lost 2-4 at Monopoli, though there is no verified record of individual errors. The fourth is the data limit; passing, aerial and duel metrics could not be found in public sources. The fifth is inconsistent records; contract length and appearance counts differ between sources.
Career Projection and Contract Status
Inter signed the player permanently on 26 January 2026 and placed him in the U-23 team. The contract end shows as 2028 on Soccerway and 2030 on Besoccer; the club did not publish a figure. Dinamo hold a 10 per cent share of a future sale. His father is the Bosnian former player and manager Sergej Jakirović and his grandfather Enver was also a professional player. The measures for the period ahead are whether he keeps his Serie C minutes, whether he gets playing time with the first team and his place in Croatia’s U-19 and U-21 squads.
GP VERDICTKEEP WATCHING
An 18-year-old left-footed centre-back who has played in the Champions League at a very young age, gets regular Serie C minutes and has been called up to the first team; detailed performance data is limited and his frame is still developing.
Keeping his Serie C minutes, getting first-team playing time at Inter and duel and aerial efficiency becoming visible in the data sources.
Yahya Deveci, scout in charge of the Balkans and Greece. This report is built on public sources and contains no transfer recommendation.
