Latvian youth international Henrijs Auseklis has completed a move to Italian Serie D side Virtus Francavilla, a club that has recently become a successful stepping stone for Latvian goalkeepers.
The 19-year-old goalkeeper had spent the past two and a half seasons in the academy of Serie A club Cagliari after joining the Italian side in 2024. Although he never made a senior appearance, Auseklis was included in Cagliari’s first-team squad for three Serie A matches in February 2025 while continuing his development with the club’s youth teams.
Now the former Latvia U-17 and U-19 international has joined Virtus Francavilla, where two other Latvian goalkeepers have enjoyed breakthrough campaigns in recent seasons.
During the 2024/25 season, Leonards Čevers made 27 appearances for the club, keeping seven clean sheets before earning a move to Serie B side Salernitana. Last season, Roberts Apsīts established himself as Virtus Francavilla’s first-choice goalkeeper, recording 10 clean sheets in 23 matches. His performances earned him a transfer to Inter Milan, who immediately loaned the 20-year-old to Serie C club Campobasso for the 2026/27 campaign.
Virtus Francavilla will now hope to make it three successful Latvian goalkeepers in a row with the arrival of Auseklis, who came through the JDFS Alberts academy before moving to Italy.
The 2026/27 Serie D season gets underway for Virtus Francavilla on 6 September.
