Mumbai City FC sign India's U-17 World Cup defender Anwar Ali for a record-breaking transfer fee from Minerva Punjab FC...

Article continues below

(ISL) side FC have signed 17-year-old defender Anwar Ali from champions FC for a record-breaking transfer fee.

The defender who was a part of the Indian squad at the FIFA U-17 World Cup joins the ISL side for a transfer fee of INR 30 Lakhs, a record-breaking amount for a U-18 player.

According to AIFF’s (All Football Federation) regulations, Anwar Ali is bound to play another season for the side. This means that the defender will be playing in the I-League in the upcoming season and will only join the ISL club ahead of the 2019/20 season.

Minerva Punjab released a statement which read, “The historic deal inked between Minerva Punjab FC and Mumbai City FC will see Anwar Ali be the highest paid U-18 player in the country which includes 30 lakhs alone being paid to Apollo Minerva Punjab FC as the transfer fees. However, Mumbai City FC would need to wait for a season to avail the services of the Punjabi lad who would again be returning back to AIFF's Indian Arrows that plays in the Hero I-League to fulfil his commitments after which he would be available for selections.”

Article continues below

Anwar plied his trade with AIFF’s developmental side Indian Arrows last season in the I-League. He was on loan from Minerva Punjab and played a total of 15 matches in the I-League for Luis Norton de Matos’ side.

The defender hailing from Punjab joined the Minerva academy when he was 14 years old. Being is a core member of the Indian Arrows side along with Jitendra Kumar, Anwar is part of a formidable pairing at the heart of the defence.

Mumbai City FC, on Tuesday, confirmed the signing of Indian international defender Subhasish Bose from . They had earlier roped in veteran Indian defender Anwar Ali from .