While the summer break begins for the national players, it ends for the Bundesliga soccer teams LASK and SV Guntamatic Ried. Petar Filipovic is no longer present in the performance tests of the athletes, and now captain Alexander Schlager is also threatened with departure. The Innviertler also fear for a top performer: Rapid has Ante Bajic in their sights.
LASK sports director Radovan Vujanovic had submitted an offer to Schlager weeks ago to extend the contract, which expires next summer, by four seasons. “We went absolutely to the financial limit.” Schlager did not sign it – because the Salzburg option is becoming more concrete: First, only substitute goalkeeper Nico Mantl should be loaned out by the champions, now there is an offer from the English Premier League for number one Philipp Köhn. “We really want Schlager to stay,” said Vujanovic, who will talk to the 26-year-old this week about how to proceed. It is clear that LASK cannot keep up with an offer from Salzburg, and that the master can afford the transfer fee, as well.
LASK would not be unprepared, as two contract extensions show: Tobias Lawal, who would become Schlager’s successor, signed until 2027, substitute goalkeeper Thomas Gebauer, contrary to the original plan, is still a year away.
Filipovic was unstoppable
The signing of central defender Philipp Ziereis was already a reaction to a departure: Petar Filipovic’s contract expired and he rejected an offer to extend it. The 31-year-old is drawn to Turkey, where he can earn many times the LASK salary. Ziereis is the fourth signing after Filip Stojkovic and the loan returnees from Tyrol, Thomas Sabitzer and Tobias Anselm. There will be more: When coach Dietmar Kühbauer whistles the preparations on the pitch on Wednesday, a new midfielder could already be there. LASK will also step up in attack – and give up several more players. The squad is way too big.
Top scorer wants to go
The squad of SV Guntamatic Ried could be involuntarily smaller: Ante Bajic is still expected for today’s training start in Geinberg, but the 26-year-old offensive player could soon leave the Innviertler. Rapid has submitted an offer for the top scorer of the Innviertel last season (nine goals).
And Bajic has already made up his mind: he would like to take the step to Vienna. However, the clubs have not yet agreed on the fee. Ried would definitely be happy about a rain of money: Bajic still has a contract until 2024.
The change from Samuel Sahin-Radlinger to Austria is off the table: The Viennese have found a successor for ÖFB team goalkeeper Patrick Pentz in the German Christian Früchtl from FC Bayern. (mag/rawa)
Source: Nachrichten
