Croatian striker Dion Drena Beljo’s time in the Bundesliga has officially drawn to a close. Augsburg officially confirmed the sale Beljo to Dinamo Zagreb on Wednesday evening. Both clubs agreed not to divulge the terms of the transfer, but earlier reports suggested that Augsburg pocketed a €5m transfer fee while negotiating an additional €2.5m in bonuses.
Beljo departs German football having scored only five goals in 45 competitive appearances for the Fuggerstädter. Beljo joined Augsburg on a €3m deal from NK Osijek in the January 2023 transfer window. All five of his top flight goals came under previous FCA head coach Enrico Maaßen that spring and earlier the following year.
After taking over for Maaßen in the autumn of 2023, Jess Thorup had no use for Beljo and he was loaned out to Rapid Vienna in the Austrian Bundesliga last year. A decent season on loan in the Austrian capital (16 goals across all competitions) did actually lead to new FCA head coach Sandro Wagner to attempt and convince Beljo to remain.
“After his loan spell at Rapid Vienna, we laid out an FCA future for Dion at the start of pre-season and held several talks with him,” Augsburg managing director Michael Ströll noted in a club statement. “He nevertheless expressed his desire to return to his home country. After constructive talks with Zagreb, we were able to find a solution that suits all parties and have acceded to his transfer request.”
“I would like to thank those responsible at FCA for making my move to Zagreb possible,” the player himself added. “A new chapter is beginning for me at Dinamo Zagreb and I am delighted to be back home.”
GGFN | Peter Weis
