Madrid, Jul 6 (IANS): Atletico Madrid have confirmed the signing of Croatian defender Sime Vrsaljko from Italian Sassuolo for the next five football seasons.

The 24-year-old, who played in Euro 2016 in France with the Croatian national team which was eliminated in the second round, will join the team in July, the club said on Tuesday, reports Efe.

Atletico sporting manager Jose Luis Pérez Caminero said: Vrsaljko is a player with a huge projection, although he has already demonstrated his quality in a championship as competitive as the Italian Serie A.

"It perfectly fulfils our idea of incorporating players who increase the competition within the group and our team’s level. He is very versatile, since he can play in both sides, which offers us interesting alternatives."

This is the second signing announced by Atletico after Argentine midfielder Nicolas Gaitan.

Vrsaljko makes the leap to LaLiga after playing three seasons in the Serie A. After a year with Genoa, he has played the last two seasons with Sassuolo.

His career in professional football started in Lokomotiva in 2009 before returning to Dynamo Zagreb, the club where he played in the ranks, to win four leagues (2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013) and two Cups (2011 and 2012).