Real Zaragoza Rejects Sturm Graz Loan Offer for Samed Bazdar

Real Zaragoza sporting director Lalo Arantegui confirmed this Wednesday that Austrian club Sturm Graz is one of two teams to have submitted an offer for striker Samed Bazdar.

Sturm Graz currently sits second in the Austrian Bundesliga after winning the championship in the previous two seasons. The club is set to face Scottish side Hearts in the Champions League preliminary round on July 21 and 27. They submitted a loan proposal to Zaragoza with no fee and a very low voluntary purchase option of approximately €1 million.

The Aragonese club has rejected this offer, along with the other proposal received for the striker, who has been representing Bosnia at the World Cup.

Zaragoza Seeks Departure but Wants to Recover Investment

In his press conference on Wednesday, Arantegui openly acknowledged that the club is seeking Bazdar's departure—a widely anticipated outcome since the season ended and relegation to Primera RFEF was confirmed. However, he made clear that Zaragoza made a significant investment in the player—€3 million paid in two installments of €1.5 million each—when signing him from Partizan Belgrade in summer 2024, and they will not give him away.

The club aims to recover its investment, or at least part of it, either now or in the future. This means any deal must include a purchase option that is preferably mandatory or easily achievable through performance-based objectives at the club he joins.

Bazdar's Current Situation

According to Arantegui, Bazdar must report for medical exams on Thursday, July 16, and begin preseason on Monday, July 20. This comes despite the striker's season having ended very recently—on Thursday, July 2—when Bosnia and Herzegovina was eliminated from the World Cup by the United States in the round of 32.

During the tournament, Bazdar played 30 minutes against Canada in his team's debut but did not feature against Switzerland, Qatar, or in the elimination match against the United States. Nevertheless, his mere participation in the world's most important tournament has increased his market value.

His salary—slightly higher than the maximum parameters Zaragoza is using in its Primera RFEF offers—also makes his continuity unfeasible, though the primary obstacle remains the striker's own status.

Other Offers Received

Aware of Zaragoza's weak negotiating position, Sturm Graz proposed a very low loan offer, and similar approaches may follow, as a high purchase offer for Bazdar's full or partial transfer appears unlikely.

Previous offers (rejected):

• Last summer: A transfer offer from Russian club Rubin Kazan (€2–2.5 million), plus loan proposals from Portugal (Arouca), Belgium (La Louviere), and Spain's Segunda División (Córdoba)
• January: Loan proposals from Polish club Rakow, Portuguese club Gil Vicente, and Swedish club AIK Solna—all offering to pay the loan fee and cover salary, but no transfer

The best proposal came from Jagiellonia Białystok, where Bazdar moved at the end of January. He played 15 matches in the Ekstraklasa (only three as a starter) and two in the Conference League, scoring three goals. A purchase option of €2 million for 80% of the transfer rights was set but was not exercised by the Polish club.

Bazdar's Time at Zaragoza

Bazdar signed a five-year contract upon arriving in summer 2024. Under coach Víctor Fernández, he showed his best form until November, when a hamstring injury sidelined him for nearly two months. Under Ramírez, he began playing out of position as the sole reference in attack. Under Gabi, he fell into greater ostracism—a situation that continued after not leaving last summer and worsened under Sellés, leading to his January departure to Jagiellonia.

As a Zaragoza player, Bazdar made 40 league appearances and scored five goals.

Source: El Periódico de Aragón