Former Rijeka Gem Shines in Slovenia
Admir Bristrić, a striker honed at Hrvatski dragovoljac, has signed for Leicester City. The fixed fee is €1.15 million, and with bonuses, the transfer could rise to nearly €2 million.
Admir Bristrić, a striker honed at Hrvatski dragovoljac, has signed for Leicester City. The fixed fee is €1.15 million, and with bonuses, the transfer could rise to nearly €2 million.
The career of 23-year-old Admir Bristrić is taking on an entirely new dimension. The striker, who was once on loan at Hrvatski dragovoljac and later proved himself in the Slovenian league, will don the Leicester City shirt from next season. Italian insider Lorenzo Lepore announced on platform X that all paperwork for the transfer from Ljubljana's Olimpija to the English club was completed on Wednesday, August 6, 2026, and the player has already passed his medical.
According to details shared by Lepore, Leicester will pay Olimpija €1.15 million as the base fee. However, the final amount could be significantly higher. Through various performance-related bonuses, the total value of the deal rises to nearly €2 million. Additionally, the Ljubljana club has secured a percentage of any future sale of the player.
"EXCLUSIVE: today everything was signed for Admir Bristrić's move to Leicester City from NK Olimpija Ljubljana. Only a few minor details remain, and the medical has also been completed, so the deal is essentially done. The fee is €1.15 million, with performance-related bonuses..."
Bristrić arrived at Rujevica as a great hope from Bosnia and Herzegovina, but he first experienced senior football in Zagreb. In January 2022, Rijeka sent him on loan to Hrvatski dragovoljac, which was already on the brink of relegation at the time. Along with him, coach Dragan Tadić and a group of young players, including Ivan Smolčić, Niko Galešić, Roko Jurišić, Veldin Hodža, and Matija Frigan, were also sent on loan as part of the package.
Although he earned his first minutes in the Croatian top flight there, upon returning to Rijeka he failed to break into the first team. The turning point came after his move to Slovenia. During last season, playing on loan at Bravo, he exploded in the Slovenian league. In 30 appearances, he found the net 15 times, establishing himself as one of the league's most lethal strikers.
With this transfer, Bristrić will play in England for the first time and make by far the biggest leap of his career so far. However, a serious challenge lies ahead. Leicester City, which just ten years ago shocked the world by winning the Premier League title, now finds itself in League One, the third tier of English football. The club is urgently seeking reinforcements to climb back up the divisions, which means the young striker will need to adapt quickly and continue his goal-scoring streak.
