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

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

Wieden, Österreich - Dion Beljo, the only 23-year-old striker with Croatian roots, can look back on an eventful time at Rapid Vienna. The player, who was born on March 1, 2002 in Zagreb, left a lasting impression with the green-whites in his first year. Beljo scored 19 goals in 49 missions, including five goals in the Conference League, which contributed significantly to the achievement of the quarterfinales of the renowned European club championship. Unfortunately, the team failed there on Djurgården's IF Stockholm, but Beljo could still look back on a successful season. At the end of the season he has now released an emotional farewell post on Instagram, in which he recorded some of his best moments. Augsburg general reported that this was not a final farewell, although it is clear that Rapid Vienna is left.

The loan of Beljo, who only came to Vienna from FC Augsburg last year, ends on June 30, 2025. However, the FCA does not just want to get it back. The association has set a transfer fee of three million euros because 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 also shows a clear interest in the center forward, who, with its 1.95 m size and his left foot, delivers strong arguments in the storm. Transfermarkt notes that Beljo would like to use the chance under the new framework conditions in Augsburg under Wagner.

career and challenges

Beljo came to Rapid Vienna in July 2024 after he was previously signed by the FCA for a transfer fee of three million euros by NK Osijek. Originally, he was supposed to replace Florian Niederlechner, who had switched to Hertha BSC. Under the then coach Enrico Maassen he received many freedom and showed his potential. After Maassen's dismissal and takeover by Jess Thorup, Beljo could no longer go out as desired. Thorup demanded a more defensive way of playing from him, which was not easy for the talented striker. This led to dissatisfaction on Beljo's side, which was reflected in frequent short appearances. The result was a tense trainer player relationship.

While Rapid Vienna apparently was interested in keeping Beljo in the club in the long term, the purchase option of over eight million euros was not pulled by the association's side. This left space for a return to the FCA, which is only considered if there are no longer bad feelings between the coach and player. The list of Croatian international shows that Beljo has been part of the Croatian national team since October 2023, which opens up to fabulous perspectives for his future. But first of all, the question is how it goes on for him.

interest from both camps

The interest of Dinamo Zagreb cannot be overlooked. The traditional association wants to offer Beljo a regular place, but the required transfer fee of eight million euros is considered an exaggeration. However, there are currently no concrete negotiations between the FCA and Zagreb. Beljo's contract with the FCA runs until 2027, which makes the negotiations even more difficult. Both sides obviously have no desire for an dissatisfied player who returns from Vienna, which continues to make things exciting.

The Austrian football lover can watch the path of Dion Beljo lead. Either he will take the chance at FCA or make a new attempt at Dinamo Zagreb - in any case it remains a hot topic in the football scene.