Real Zaragoza Rejects Sturm Graz Loan Offer for Samed Bazdar

Real Zaragoza sporting director Lalo Arantegui confirmed on 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, and is seeking to bolster its squad with the Balkan forward.

The Austrian club submitted a loan proposal to Zaragoza with no fee and a very low voluntary purchase option of approximately €1 million. Real Zaragoza has rejected this offer, along with the other bid received for the striker, who has been representing Bosnia and Herzegovina at the World Cup.

Zaragoza Seeks to Recover Investment

In his press conference on Wednesday, Arantegui openly acknowledged that Bazdar's departure is the club's objective—a widely anticipated outcome since the season ended and relegation to Primera RFEF was confirmed. However, he made clear that the club 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 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 should include a purchase option that is preferably mandatory or easily achievable through performance objectives at the buying club.

Player's Status and Market Value

Achieving that goal with Bazdar will not be easy. Arantegui stated that the player must report for medical exams on Thursday, July 16, and begin preseason on Monday, July 20—despite his 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.

Bazdar played 30 minutes against Canada in his team's debut but did not feature again—neither against Switzerland, Qatar, nor in the elimination match against the United States. Nevertheless, his mere participation in the world's most prestigious tournament has boosted 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 striker's own status is what truly makes it impossible.

Other Offers Received

Aware of Zaragoza's weak negotiating position, Sturm Graz proposed a very low loan offer, and other bids are expected to follow a similar pattern. It will be difficult for a high purchase proposal for the full or partial transfer of Bazdar to arrive.

Last summer, the only transfer offer—which was rejected—came from Russian club Rubin Kazan, valued between €2 million and €2.5 million. Loan proposals arrived from Portugal (Arouca), Belgium (La Louvière), and Spain's Segunda División (Córdoba), all of which were also dismissed.

In January, after Bazdar agreed to join Jagiellonia, Polish club Rakow, Portuguese side Gil Vicente, and Swedish club AIK Solna also proposed loans—covering fees and salary—but never a transfer. Ultimately, the best proposal came from Jagiellonia Białystok, where he moved at the end of January.

Performance at Jagiellonia and Zaragoza

At Jagiellonia, Bazdar 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, who signed a five-year contract upon arriving in summer 2024, had a strong breakthrough under coach Víctor Fernández, delivering his best level 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 faced greater ostracism—a situation that continued after not leaving last summer and worsened under Sellés, leading to his January departure for Jagiellonia.

As a Zaragoza player, he has appeared in 40 league matches, scoring five goals.

Source: El Periódico de Aragón