BREMEN, Germany -- Werder Bremen has signed defender Mateo Pavlovic from Croatian first division side NK Zagreb.
The Bundesliga club says in a statement that the 22-year-old Pavlovic, a Croatia youth international, has agreed a deal until June 2016.
Bremen director of football and scouting Frank Baumann says the club has been watching the player for a long time and that "he is a young, talented centre back who has a lot of potential and meets our requirements."
Pavlovic says he is "very happy to take the next step in my career."
Pavlovic has nine caps for Croatia's under-21 team.
