Vilnius Football Academy have announced that academy graduate Norbert Diugevič has joined the system of Italian Serie C club Monopoli.
The 18-year-old midfielder is the third Lithuanian player to join Monopoli within the past year. In January last year, Lithuania U-19 international Skirmantas Paukštys joined Monopoli from the BE1 Academy and has since made his debut for the club’s first team in Serie C, Italy’s third tier.
Later last year, another midfielder, Airik Balasanov, also joined Monopoli. The 18-year-old arrived from FK Banga Gargždai and has already made seven appearances for Monopoli’s Primavera 2 team.
In April 2025, Diugevič signed a professional contract with Vilnius FA. During the previous season, he split his playing time between the club’s first team, competing in the Pirma Lyga (Lithuania’s second division), and the reserve team. He made 11 appearances in the Pirma Lyga, scoring two goals.
In their statement, Vilnius Football Academy confirmed that Diugevič is the first academy graduate to join a foreign professional club, adding that they are pleased to see more academy players receiving opportunities to test themselves at a higher level.
