Panathinaikos needs a central defender and it seems that Ivan Jovanovic has located the player he likes in Northern Macedonia. This is the 25-year-old Skopjan, Darko Velkovski, who belongs to the Croatian Rijeka.

According to the information, Jovanovic pointed out Velkovski to the people of Panathinaikos and they had the first contacts with the footballer's agenda. Negotiations for how much and duration in the cooperation have not started, because the status of the tall stopper has not been clarified yet.

Velkowski's contract with Rijeka expires this year, but the Croatian team retains the option of renewal. But for years, the unilateral renewal of contracts has not been recognized by UEFA, so there is an issue in this case.

The people of Panathinaikos are waiting for Velkovski to clarify what is valid in his relationship with Rijeka, in order to deal with the player as a free agent. However, in order to avoid legal disputes, it is possible to agree to the payment of a small compensation.

Rijeka's management made an attempt to persuade Velkowski to extend his contract, but he refused. In addition, the German Freiburg has expressed interest without having progressed as much as Panathinaikos