Wellington Phoenix star teenager Liberato Cacace will be leaving the club at the end of this season after signing to play for Belgian club Sint-Truiden.
According to Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws, the 19-year-old left back reportedly cost 1.2 million euros ($NZ2.1m), signing a three-year deal in whatis another success story for the Wellington side's academy.
Cacace is the second Wellington Phoenix academy graduate in the past 13 months to have transferred to a top league in Europe, following ex-teammate Sarpreet Singh who signed with Bayern Munich and is on loan at FC Nürnberg.
Cacace, who has also made three appearances for the All Whites, was a standout this season at left back for the Phoenix, scoring three goals in 25 games to help Wellington finish the regular season in third place.
"I would like to thank the club for everything they have done for me since I first started at the Phoenix Aaademy as a 16-year-old, and for the professional manner in which they have gone through this transfer agreement with Sint-Truiden," Cacace said in a club statement.
"Ufuk [Talay] and the club know that it's been a dream of mine to play in Europe, and they're worked hard to help me achieve my individual goals and aspirations - alongside the club's goals - while I've been part of the club."
Phoenix coach Ufuk Talay says the club is proud of the teenager's latest career move.
"The coaching staff and I are proud of what Libby has achieved to get to this stage of his career, and we've long believed he will have a remarkable career whether it's here or in Europe.
"He'll be able to continue his development at Sint-Truiden and get the minutes he needs and an opportunity to start, which is important for his continued growth."
Former Australian international Kevin Muscat manages the Belgian Pro League side which finished 12th of 16 teams in the 2019/20 season with nine wins from 29 fixtures.
The first chance for Cacace to feature for the side will be their Jupiler League game against Antwerp on September 14 at 2am NZT.
