New beginning for Dion Beljo: return to FCA or move to Zagreb?

New beginning for Dion Beljo: return to FCA or move to Zagreb?

Dion Beljo, the 23-year-old striker with Croatian roots, looks back on an eventful time at Rapid Vienna. The player, who was born in Zagreb on March 1, 2002, made a lasting impression in his first year with the Green-Whites. In 49 appearances, Beljo scored 19 goals, including five goals in the Conference League, which contributed significantly to reaching the quarter-finals of the prestigious European club championship. Unfortunately the team failed there against Djurgårdens IF Stockholm, but Beljo was still able to look back on a successful season. At the end of the season, he published an emotional farewell post on Instagram in which he captured some of his best moments. Augsburger Allgemeine reports that he expressed the wish that this would not be a final farewell, although it is clear that he will be leaving Rapid Vienna.

Beljo's loan, who only came to Vienna from FC Augsburg last year, ends on June 30, 2025. However, FCA does not want to just bring him back. The club has set a transfer fee of three million euros as the team hopes to find a good solution. On the one hand, there is the new coach Sandro Wagner, who wants to give Beljo a chance in the team and has already contacted him. On the other hand, Dinamo Zagreb is also showing a clear interest in the center forward, who, with his 1.95 m height and his left foot, provides strong arguments in the attack. Transfer market noted that Beljo would like to take the opportunity to prove himself under the new conditions in Augsburg under Wagner.

Career and challenges

Beljo joined Rapid Vienna in July 2024 after previously being signed by FCA from NK Osijek for a transfer fee of three million euros. He was originally supposed to replace Florian Niederlechner, who had moved to Hertha BSC. Under the then coach Enrico Maaßen he was given a lot of freedom and showed his potential. However, after Maaßen's dismissal and Jess Thorup taking over, Beljo was no longer able to perform as desired. Thorup asked him to play more defensively, which was not easy for the talented striker. This led to dissatisfaction on Beljo's side, which was reflected in frequent short missions. The result was a strained coach-player relationship.

While Rapid Vienna was apparently interested in keeping Beljo at the club long-term, the club did not take up the purchase option of eight million euros. This left room for a return to FCA, although this will only be considered if there are no longer any bad feelings between coach and player. The list of Croatian national players shows that Beljo has been part of the Croatian national team since October 2023, which opens up fabulous prospects for his future. But first the question remains what will happen next for him.

Interest from both camps

Dinamo Zagreb's interest cannot be overlooked. The traditional club would like to offer Beljo a regular place straight away, but the required transfer fee of eight million euros is seen as excessive. However, there are currently no concrete negotiations between the FCA and Zagreb. Beljo's contract with FCA runs until 2027, which makes negotiations even more difficult. Both sides clearly have no desire for an unhappy player returning from Vienna, which continues to keep things exciting.

The Austrian football lover can look forward to seeing where Dion Beljo's path leads. Either he will take advantage of the opportunity at FCA or make a new attempt at Dinamo Zagreb - in any case, it remains a hot topic in the football scene.