Mihajlo Cvetković could bring Anderlecht a major profit: Bundesliga clubs are monitoring the young Serbian striker
Mihajlo Cvetković, Anderlecht's 19-year-old Serbian striker, is entering the final part of the season as one of the more interesting young names on the Belgian market. According to Serbian media reports, citing information from Belgium, Bundesliga clubs are showing increasingly serious interest in the player, while the Brussels club currently does not want to discuss a sale for an amount lower than 15 million euros. An official offer that would meet Anderlecht's conditions, according to the available information, has not yet been confirmed, so the entire case for now remains in the area of increased interest, evaluations and negotiating positioning ahead of the summer transfer window.
Cvetković arrived at Anderlecht after a transfer from Čukarički, and the Belgian club's official announcement from April 2025 states that he signed a contract until 2029, with an option to extend for one more season. This gives Anderlecht a strong position in negotiations because this is not a player whose contract is about to expire, but a striker tied to a long-term contract and included in the club's sporting project. That fact explains why the Belgian and Serbian media space mentions a price several times higher than the one Anderlecht paid to Čukarički.
From a 3.2 million euro investment to a possible price of 15 million
According to Serbian media reports, Anderlecht paid around 3.2 million euros for Cvetković last summer, making it one of the more important outgoing transfers in Čukarički's recent history. According to the same reports, the Belgian club now does not intend to let the young striker leave for less than 15 million euros, which would represent a very large increase in value in just one season. If such a deal were actually completed, Anderlecht could make a multiple profit on a player it brought in as a long-term investment.
Such a development is not unusual for Belgian football, which has for years been profiling itself as a market where young players from smaller leagues get room to develop and then move on to financially stronger leagues. In that model, Anderlecht relies particularly on a combination of its own academy, scouting and the early recruitment of players from the region and other European markets. Cvetković fits that profile because he arrived in Belgium as a teenager with a reputation as one of the most interesting strikers in Serbian football.
Reports from Serbia also state that Anderlecht rejected an offer of ten million euros during the winter transfer window. This information has not been officially confirmed in the club's announcements, but several Serbian sports portals reported the same information, citing Belgian sources. If such an offer really existed, the rejection would show that Brussels believes Cvetković's market value can still rise, especially if he continues to get minutes and maintain his impact in front of goal.
A season in which he used limited playing time well
Cvetković's output attracts particular attention because he did not spend the entire season as an unquestioned member of the starting line-up. According to data reported by Serbian media, he scored ten goals and recorded two assists in all competitions, although for much of the time he had the status of a player coming off the bench or fighting for more minutes. Such a ratio of output to playing time for a young striker is often a signal to clubs from stronger leagues that the player has room for further development.
Specialised statistical databases record that Cvetković was among the younger strikers with concrete attacking output in the Belgian Pro League in the 2025/2026 season. FootyStats states that he scored nine goals in 29 appearances in the league part of the season, while Transfermarkt states in the player's profile that he is under contract with Anderlecht until 30 June 2029 and that his market value is estimated at six million euros. These estimates do not necessarily reflect the amount the club would demand in negotiations, but they show that Cvetković has already established himself as a player with recognisable market value.
For a young centre-forward, it is especially important that he achieved this output in a league that is often closely watched by scouts from Germany, France, England and the Netherlands. The Belgian championship cannot match the top five leagues in financial strength, but it is competitive, physically demanding and visible enough for good performances to quickly turn into international interest. For Cvetković, it is also important that at Anderlecht he has worked in an environment where young players are expected to adapt tactically, not only show raw attacking talent.
Why the Bundesliga is a logical direction
Interest from Bundesliga clubs, if confirmed by concrete offers, would not be a surprise. German clubs traditionally monitor the Belgian market because they can find players there who have already gone through the phase of adapting to Western European football, but have not yet reached prices characteristic of the biggest leagues. For a young striker such as Cvetković, the Bundesliga can be attractive because of the intensity of the game, the emphasis on transition, room for development and the frequent trust that German clubs give to players in their early twenties.
Serbian media at this moment do not mention an officially confirmed offer that would trigger negotiations, but speak of growing interest and Anderlecht's threshold below which the club does not want to sell. Such wording is important because the football market often creates a difference between scouting, enquiries, informal interest and a real offer. In Cvetković's case, the firmest facts for now are that the player is tied to Anderlecht long-term, that he has had a productive season behind him and that the Belgian club, according to media reports, believes that a sale below 15 million euros would make no sense.
The Bundesliga would represent a big sporting leap. In Belgium, Cvetković already had to adapt to a higher intensity and different demands than in the Serbian SuperLiga, but German football would bring even greater pressure, a faster game and stronger competition. That is why it is not excluded that Anderlecht, as stated by Belgian sources reported by regional media, would rather keep the player for at least one more season, unless an offer arrives that would be financially difficult to refuse.
Čukarički could profit again
Čukarički's position gives the whole story a special dimension. According to Serbian media reports, the Belgrade club retained the right to 20 percent of the next sale when Cvetković was transferred. If Anderlecht were indeed to sell the striker for 15 million euros, Čukarički could, by that calculation, earn an additional three million euros. In practical terms, that would mean that the Serbian club's total income from Cvetković's departure, along with the initial fee of around 3.2 million euros, could rise to more than six million euros.
For clubs like Čukarički, such clauses are often just as important as the initial fee. When a young player moves to a stronger league, the parent club cannot always immediately receive the full market value the player could reach in a year or two. That is why a percentage of a future sale serves as a way for the club that developed the player to participate in the later growth of his value. In Cvetković's case, that model could bring a significant financial result if a transfer from Anderlecht to a stronger league really happens.
In recent years, Čukarički has built a reputation as a club that gives young players space in senior football and then sells them abroad. Cvetković's example shows why such a model is attractive, but also risky. The club must recognise potential early enough, give the player minutes, keep him long enough for his value to rise, and then negotiate terms in the sale that allow for additional profit. If Anderlecht receives the kind of offer Serbian media are announcing, Čukarički could be one of the quiet winners of the entire deal.
Anderlecht has a sporting and financial calculation
For Anderlecht, the decision is not simple because Cvetković is not only a financial asset but also a player who could have a larger sporting role next season. The club officially announced that the striker was brought in from Čukarički to join the first team at the start of preparations, and his contract until 2029 gives enough time for planning. If Brussels assesses that the player can make further progress, keeping him could be just as logical as selling him.
On the other hand, an offer of 15 million euros or more for a player paid around 3.2 million euros would represent a very serious financial argument. Belgian clubs, including those with great tradition such as Anderlecht, often have to balance sporting ambitions and market reality. When interest from a league with greater purchasing power emerges for a young player, the decision to sell usually depends on a combination of the amount, payment structure, bonuses, percentage of a future sale and the possibility of finding a replacement in time.
Anderlecht's negotiating position is strengthened by the fact that Cvetković does not have an urgent contractual situation. A long-term contract means the club does not have to accept the first serious offer, but can wait for a more favourable moment or competition among several interested parties. That is why the 15 million euro threshold can also be interpreted as a message to the market: Anderlecht is ready to talk, but only under conditions that confirm the player's increase in value.
Cvetković's development path and reputation as a young goalscorer
Cvetković was born on 10 January 2007 in Niš, and broke into senior football through Čukarički. In its official announcement, RSC Anderlecht emphasised that he is a striker who was known in the younger categories for his goalscoring output, including 33 goals in the 2022/2023 season at under-17 level. Such output explains why the Belgian club identified him as a player worth bringing in before he became unavailable to bigger European buyers.
Strikers of this profile are particularly sought after because the market for young centre-forwards with a proven sense for goal has limited supply. Clubs from stronger leagues are often willing to pay a premium for players who can grow over several seasons while already having a certain senior-level output. Cvetković is not yet the finished product, and that is part of his market appeal: the club buying him is not paying only for his current output, but also for development potential, future resale value and the possibility that he will become a regular striker at a higher level.
There are also risks in that assessment. A young striker needs continuity of matches, a stable environment and a clear role for his development to move in the right direction. Moving too quickly to a stronger league can accelerate progress, but it can also reduce playing time if the competition is too strong. That is why any decision on a transfer will depend not only on the transfer fee, but also on the sporting plan that the interested club would offer the player.
What can be expected in the summer transfer window
As the summer transfer window approaches, Cvetković's name could appear more and more often in the context of clubs looking for a young striker with room for development. According to the currently available information, Anderlecht is not under pressure to sell, but has set a high price if interest turns into a concrete offer. In practice, this means that the situation will probably develop depending on whether clubs from Germany move from the monitoring phase to the phase of official negotiations.
For Cvetković, the most important thing is that his first season in Belgium is already considered a successful step outside Serbian football. Ten goals and two assists in all competitions, according to data reported by regional media, are strong enough arguments for the market to register him, especially because part of his output came without the status of an unquestioned first-team player. Anderlecht can therefore choose between two favourable options: keep the player and try to further increase his value, or accept a major offer if it arrives in line with the club's expectations.
At this moment, the most cautious wording remains that Cvetković is a player under contract with Anderlecht, with growing interest from Germany and a price that the Belgian club, according to media reports, sets at a minimum of 15 million euros. For Čukarički, such an outcome could mean another major payment, for Anderlecht confirmation of a successful investment, and for the young striker a possible entry into a league that would place his development at an even more demanding and visible level.
Sources:
- RSC Anderlecht – official announcement on Mihajlo Cvetković's signing, contract duration and arrival from Čukarički (link)
- RSC Anderlecht – official player profile with position and date of birth (link)
- B92 Sport – report on Anderlecht's fee valuation, interest from Germany and Čukarički's possible earnings (link)
- Mondo – report on seasonal output, alleged rejected offer and the player's new price (link)
- Mozzart Sport – report on interest, the 15 million euro threshold and the 20 percent clause for Čukarički (link)
- Transfermarkt – player profile, contract, position, market value and basic biographical data (link)
- FootyStats – statistical overview of appearances and goals in the 2025/2026 season for Anderlecht (link)