Bundesliga transfer: Sturm pays more transfer fee than ever before

Football champions Sturm Graz are about to make a record transfer: According to “The Athletic” and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, the Styrian club are now set to permanently acquire Danish striker Mika Biereth, who was previously on loan, from Arsenal. The Styrian club are reportedly paying a transfer fee of 4.7 million euros to the top English club.

Sturm has not yet confirmed the deal, which is also said to include a resale clause for Arsenal. They said they are in good talks. The 21-year-old, who has never played for Arsenal’s first team, needed no time to get going in Styria in the spring: in 22 competitive matches he scored nine goals and provided four assists.

Sturm’s previous record signing for over 23 years has been Charles Amoah, who moved from St. Gallen to Graz in 2001 for just under four million euros. Salzburg holds the Bundesliga record for new signings: the runners-up paid 13 million euros for the French midfielder Lucas Gourna-Douath in the summer of 2022.

The double winners announced one arrival and two departures as permanent. Croatian U21 team player Lovro Zvonarek is coming on loan from German record champions Bayern Munich. The 19-year-old midfielder played five Bundesliga games last season and scored one goal. Sturm also announced the already rumored departure of David Schnegg. The full-back is moving to DC United in the USA. A transfer fee of around two million euros is rumored for Schnegg – a sum that Sturm recently also secured for the recently loaned Mohamed Fuseini (Union Saint-Gilloise). Luca Kronberger, who was on loan at Tirol last season, is moving permanently to Altach.

“Lovro Zvonarek is a highly talented player for the attacking midfield, who has already made his first appearances for FC Bayern at his young age, but is far from finished in his development. He is technically very strong and has excellent football training,” explained sports director Andreas Schicker.

Bayern sporting director Christoph Freund said that the offensive player “has everything he needs to make it in professional football.” He is convinced that Zvonarek will take the next steps in his development in Austria, said the former Salzburg sporting director. “He has a strong character. We will closely monitor his path in the coming season from Munich.”

The transfers of the Bundesliga clubs

• SK Sturm Graz
  To: Zvonarek (Cro, Bayern Munich, loan), Karic (Darmstadt), Malic (Slo, Ried), Chukwuani (Den, Lyngby), Kern (Hun, Puskas Academia), Dante (Mli, FC Zurich, after loan)
  Away: Schnegg (Washington), Jaros (Cze, Liverpool, after loan), Serrano (Esp, Atletico Madrid, after loan), Affengruber, Stückler
• FC Salzburg
  To: Blaswich (D, Leipzig, loan), Kawamura (Jpn, Hiroshima), Piatkowski (Pol, Granada, after loan), Kameri (Grasshopper Club Zurich, after loan), Van der Brempt (Bel, Hamburg, after loan)
  Away: Daniliuc (Salernitana, after loan), Omoregie (Hartberg, loan), Ulmer, Koita, Horn (D)
• LASK
  To: Boateng (D, Salernitana), Smolcic (Cro, Frankfurt, loan), Bogarde (Ned, Hoffenheim II), Kone (Sen, Dunajska Streda, after loan), N. Polster (Horn, after loan), Wimhofer (Horn, after loan), Sulzner (Amstetten, after loan)
  Away: Havel (Hartberg, loan), Jungwirth (Admira, loan), Ba (D, Leipzig, after loan, to Braunschweig), Twardzik (Cze, Trnava), Luckeneder, Michorl, Wiesinger, Letard (Fra)
• SK Rapid
  To: Schaub (Hannover), Bolla (Hun, Wolverhampton, most recently loaned to Geneva), Raux-Yao (Fra, Rodez), Sangare (Mli, Salzburg, most recently loaned to Hartberg), Böckle (Düsseldorf, most recently loaned to Münster), Schöller (Admira), Haas (Admira), Druijf (Ned, Zwolle, after loan), Zimmermann (Wolfsberg, after loan), Bischof (Vienna, after loan)
  Away: Grüll (Bremen), Querfeld (U. Berlin), Moormann (Blau-Weiß Linz), Sollbauer (Ried), Mayulu (Fra, Bristol), Kasanwirjo (Ned, Feyenoord Rotterdam, after loan), Kongolo (Ned, Fulham, after loan), Schick (Leoben), Strunz (Altach, loan), Unger (Vienna)
• TSV Hartberg
  To: Havel (LASK, loan), Schendl (Ried), Diarra (Mli, Cadiz, loan), Omoregie (Salzburg, loan), Markus (Slo, Domzale), Schwarz (Rapid, loan, most recently loaned to Klagenfurt), Amadin (Ned, Schalke II), Karner (Sturm Graz II), Hoffmann (Halbturn), Canazlar (Akademie Vorarlberger), Lemmerer (Amstetten, after loan), Scherf (Amstetten, after loan)
  Away: Frieser (GAK), Diakite (Mli, West Bromwich), Sangare (Mli, Salzburg, after loan, to Rapid), Bowat (Sco, Fulham, after loan), Steinwender (Värnamo), Brückner (D, Bayern Munich II, after loan), Gollner (Obdach), Schutti (Oberwart), Ehmann (Voitsberg), Kröpfl (Velden), Knoflach
• SK Austria Klagenfurt
  To: Koch (Blau-Weiß Linz), Wydra (Rapid, loan), Szerensci (Kapfenberg), Lee (Kor, Yonsei), Bobzien (D, Mainz, loan, most recently loaned to Lustenau), Spari (FAC), Kühn (D, V. Berlin), Dehl (D, V. Berlin, after loan), May (D, V. Berlin, after loan), Toshevski (Mkd, Sibenik, after loan)
  Away: Wimmer (Wolfsberg), Karweina (D, Luzern), Menzel (D, Saarbrücken), Schumacher (D, Saarbrücken), Benatelli (D, Mannheim), Irving (Sco, West Ham, after loan), Besuschkow (D, Hannover, after loan), Schwarz (Rapid, after loan, to Hartberg), Loune (Mar, Nürnberg, after loan), Arweiler (D), Djoric (Srb), Maglica (Cro), Markelic
• Wolfsberger AC
  To: Wimmer (Klagenfurt), Matic (Srb, Red Star Belgrade)
  Away: Veratschnig (Mainz), Ibertsberger (Salzburg, after loan, to Blau-Weiß Linz), Bonmann (D, Rasgrad), Tijani (Ngr, Salzburg, after loan), Zimmermann (Rapid, after loan), Leitgeb (Leoben), Novak (Treibach)
• FK Austria Vienna
  To: Sahin-Radlinger (Almere, after loan), Malone (D, Basel, loan), Barry (Gam, Bnei Yehuda), Cristiano (Bra, Sao Bento, loan)
  Away: Früchtl (D, Lecce), Schmidt (Blau-Weiß Linz), Krätzig (D, Bayern Munich, after loan, to Stuttgart), M. Polster (Lausanne-Sport), Asllani (D, Hoffenheim, after loan), Kani (Tog, Beitar Jerusalem), Holland (Aus)
• FC Blau-Weiß Linz
  To: Moormann (Rapid), Anderson (Bra, Lustenau), Schmidt (Austria Wien), Ibertsberger (Salzburg, most recently loaned to Wolfsberg), Wähling (D, Osnabruck), Dantas (Bra, Lemense), Radulovic (Wallern/St. Marienkirchen, after loan), Softic (Wallern/St. Marienkirchen, after loan)
  Away: Haudum (Admira), Koch (Klagenfurt), Windhager (A. Salzburg), Brandner (Mondsee), Krainz
• SCR Altach
  To: Fridrikas (Lustenau), Kronberger (Sturm Graz, most recently loaned to Tirol), Madritsch (Ried), Strunz (Rapid, loan), Oberwaditzer (Lie, Akademie Vorarlberg), Helac (Lustenau), Milojevic (Leverkusen U19), Lincoln (Bra, Kobe), Mischitz (Dornbirn, after loan), Odehnal (Dornbirn, after loan)
  Away: Reiner (Gliwice, after loan), Eckmayr (Tirol), Kaiba (Cmr, Bregenz, loan), Zwischenbrugger, Schützenauer, Strauss, Reiter, Edokpolor, Jurcec (Cro), Prietl (end of career)
• WSG Tyrol
  To: Hinterseer (Rostock), Anselm (LASK, loaned to V. Köln in spring), Lawrence (D, Bayern Munich II), Eckmayr (Altach), Butler (USA, Hoffenheim II)
  Away: Prelec (Slo, Cagliari, after loan), Kronberger (Sturm Graz, after loan, to Altach), Buksa (Pol, FC Genoa, after loan, to Zabrze), Tomic (Leoben), Bacher, Ozegovic, Stumberger (Cro), Schulz (D), Ogrinec (Slo), F. Oswald (retired)
• Graz AK 1902
  To: Frieser (Hartberg), Cipot (Slo, La Spezia, loan), Italiano (Aus, Mönchengladbach II), Kirchmayr (Wolfsburg), Eder (Saalfelden), Zaizen (Jpn, Amstetten, after loan), Fritz (Fürstenfeld, after loan)
  Away: Jatremski (D, Bayern Munich II, after loan, to Unterhaching), Stefanon (Bregenz), Murg (Weiz), Th. Mayer, Köchl, Jager, Fahler, Eloshvili (Geo)