HNL Transfer Preview
It's going to be a long summer...
With five days of heaven on the Adriatic confirming Rijeka’s double, the Croatian league settles into perhaps the most tumultuous transfer window it will have seen in many a year. We’ve got a league champion who will have multiple players leave, a stung Dinnamo needing to rip the squad to pieces, an indebted Hajduk needing to find a new formula and almost every side has key elements departing. So what’s happening and where should they be looking next. This post will look club by club at the nine holdovers from 24/25 into 25/26 and attempt a bit of crystal ball action…
Rijeka
Outgoings - Contracts end for Dejan Petrovic, Lindon Selahi, Nais Djouahra and Bruno Goda of those worth noting. Selahi has been long linked away, Petrovic could take a step back up in standard and Djouahra is coming on the back of his best ever season while Goda will likely go hunting for first team football in the HNL.
Feeling almost certain to go also is Toni Fruk who is simply too good to ignore for a host of clubs in the top five leagues. Complicating matters somewhat is that Rijeka’s acquisition of him saw them needing to pay 50% forward to Fiorentina and their acquisition of Zeljko Sopic saw 5% going Gorica’s way. Assuming no buy-out, etc of the Fiorentina clause is possible, you’re realistically talking about Rijeka keeping only about 30% of any fee once agents, etc have their share. As such, I’d expect Fruk to be around for the first Champions League Qualifiers as the potential earnings value for Rijeka is greater for Fruk helping them into a European League Phase than it is for him to go now and Rijeka miss out.
With Niko Jankovic a 2026 contract expiry also, we’re close to the time when Rijeka have to do something about him also. If they can negotiate an extra year, that will probably make the most sense for all parties and give Jankovic a season as the main man at the club.
Incomings - Rijeka’s needs are pretty clear. Taking Fruk, Djouahra, Selahi and Petrovic out of that squad takes 80% of their midfield away. On top of that, Rijeka still need a striker having managed to win a title without ever filling that gap.
As such, you’d expect Rijeka to be to the fore in attempting to pick up Adrion Pajaziti, who impressed on loan at Gorica this term. He has interest from bigger clubs but it would be a very on-brand signing for them and give them a midfield starter. Someone like Danijel Sturm of Domzale, coming off a likely relegation but from a very productive season in crisis circumstances would be a reasonable bet as well - although may be more likely one to see at Osijek than here.
The striker role is a far more difficult one to pick given a scarcity of options locally and that the HNL has hardly been a striker’s paradise this term. Keeping Fruk till August may well expand their options given he can play up front part-time while they work out the finances on who they really want or work some magic on finding a released player from an Italian/German academy with the potential to polish into a gem or work out a good loan deal. With European football to offer, their options increase.
Dinamo Zagreb
Manager - With everything having gone wrong last term, this role was up for grabs and is almost certainly being taken by Slaven Belupo’s Mario Kovacevic. Kovacevic did an amazing job in Koprivnica turning a squad many thought were relegation candidates into one of the strongest in the league with an aggressive 4-3-3 that focuses on pushing fullbacks and wingers high.
Outgoings - Where to start! Ristovski, Moharrami, Rog, Franjic and Belcar are already confirmed to not be coming back. At 35, Kevin Theophile-Catherine may be kept on just to have his experience there as a back up. Arijan Ademi is being actively shopped around and offers will be taken for Samy Mmaee and Juan Cordoba. Petar Sucic is already going, Bruno Petkovic is looking to go, Martin Baturina has almost certainly played his last game for Dinamo and there’s interest in Arber Hoxha at least.
In short, Dinamo next season from a first team perspective could look like Nevistic, Pierre-Gabriel, Galesic, Misic, Stojkovic and… that’s about it in terms of reliable starters, given Torrente’s long term injury.
One note on Martin Baturina - while Dinamo will cash in this summer, it’s only right to hope Baturina gets the right move. On the back of a season where he’s not always been able to play at full fitness while being forced to carry the entire squad on his back for the Autumn due to injuries, etc, it’d be nice to see Baturina at a club like a West Ham or somewhere like that where the reliance on him is less and the pressure on him is less so he can develop properly. The environment of this season simply hasn’t helped him reach the form he can.
Incomings - Dinamo’s European future is sorted - the Europa League League Phase place was secured the second the whistle blew in the cup final with Dinamo’s large coefficient bumping them up into the League Phase proper without a qualifier.
On top of that, some business is already sorted with Robert Mudrazija coming in, Marko Soldo’s buy-back activated and Luka Vrbancic coming back from loan which will undoubtedly shore up the midfield a bit. Mateo Lisica is very likely to join also. Realistically, even with that, Dinamo need at least one centre back, two full-backs (RPG can play both sides but he’ll need some backing up), a first choice midfielder (Vrbancic might not be at that level yet, Mudrazija was for the first half of this season but not the second), someone to play on the right and probably a striker.
Obviously, I’m just going to write the words “Luka Modric” and leave that one there. That one’s up to him as to what he wants and I don’t expect clubs will have much say in that. Ivan Basic would be another reasonably sensible name to consider - his contract in Russia is ending, he’s become a stand-out for Bosnia, is Croatian (from Imotski) and, at 23, has growing still to do.
Enis Bardhi is another obvious one and offers a very direct Baturina replacement but may be financially out of Dinamo’s reach given there are English options on the table for him. They’re also linked to Ianis Stoica but that’s unlikely prior to the potential market boost he may get from the U21 Euros.
Defensively, were it not likely that Marcel Ratnik of Olimpija was going to take the route to the Middle East, a €2m deal for him would look like very good value for Dinamo. On the right, while it’s not a normal acquisition route, Peterborough’s Kwame Poku went through League One at a rate of a goal or assist every 100 minutes in 24/25 and, had it not been for a hamstring injury costing him three months, his claims to the Championship would have been undeniable - as it is, he’d present an interesting option for Dinamo with the reality of European football meaning he could be flipped in 12 months for a good fee should he settle well.
Hajduk Split
Manager - Gennaro Gattuso has walked after the season and it’s almost certain that he’ll be replaced by Istra’s Gonzalo Garcia. Expect 4-3-3 but a very attractive style that invites a press, pulls teams about a lot and passes through them.
Outgoings - The loans of Mlakar, Biuk and Rusyn won’t be continued while Lovre Kalinic, Aleksandar Trajkovski and Josip Elez will be leaving. Ivan Rakitic is making his mind up between retirement or continuation.
Crucially, however, Hajduk are in need of money. One of Durdov or Prpic will likely go to cover that particular need while Rokas Pukstas was heavily linked to leave last summer and, after a season out of favour under Gattuso, will be incentivised to go. Similar would apply to Niko Sigur - both will have an eye on a move to secure their places at next year’s World Cup.
Finally, Marko Livaja has been linked away lately with a move to the Middle East. This is likely the last summer Hajduk could make money from him and also one of the last chances he’ll have to make a big amount with a move - Hajduk’s inability over four seasons to actually build a side to support him hardly makes a case for him to stay.
Incomings - Garcia is linked to raid his former club for Lovro Majkic as goalkeeper and Vinko Rozic on the left of the attack, although both positions are ones where Hajduk are pretty well stocked anyway given they have Silic and Banic on the books between the sticks and Sego on the left. They are another in the running for Adrion Pajaziti also.
What Hajduk desperately need is a right back and a six - the latter a result of Mihael Zaper’s long term injuries. However, their financial situation makes this a bit more challenging. Someone like Bravo’s Mark Spanring would be a sensible get, particularly as it would add leadership to the group of players at the club and, with Hajduk’s money issues, finding one RB/DM would free Niko Sigur up to take up the other unfilled role full time.
Varazdin
Outgoings - Mario Cuic is the only contract up and hadn’t really made an impact anyway. Sale-wise, Dimitar Mitrovski has a lot of interest - he’s a right winger who, while not the most dynamic, has the handy ability of just being in the right place at the right time.
Incomings - Very little. Leon Belcar will return from his loan at Dinamo. Varazdin’s defensive record was incredible - they need some creativity to replace Michele Sego who left in the winter and will need a like for like replacement for Mitrovski, but otherwise expect them to focus on the striker role. Marko Dabro’s record before Varazdin was impressive but he just can’t seem to do it for them - an issue I’d more put down to environment than player.
For the latter, expect them to be one of the sides in for Ivan Santini - he showed he still has it at this level for Sibenik and would allow the club to focus on bringing in those wing replacements. They may be another in for Domzale’s Danijel Sturm but the need to act on both wings may mean a bet on Zrinjski’s Fran Topic also - both have serious upside if the moves work out. They may also look to raid Slaven Belupo for Alen Grgic who is coming off a career best season but whose injury history may put the top three off.
Slaven Belupo
Manager - With Kovacevic on the way to Dinamo, they’re making an internal appointment in Mario Gregurina.
Outgoings - Grgic and Bosec are leaving with the end of contracts while there’s live interest in midfielder Adriano Jagusic (he is likely to stay but that resolve may be tested), DM Michael Agbekpornu and GK Ivan Susak. That said, the other ending contracts are likely to be renewed.
Incomings - Perhaps more than any side, this is up in the air depending on the leavers. Right-back and left midfield are the holes that are guaranteed from the leavers but the potential to bring Ivan Dolcek back may sort one of those out. They likely will need a striker given Nestorovski isn’t getting younger and there’s no suggestion Ernis Qestaj is ready yet - Jakov Puljic, clearly not considered in Hungary, fits as a slightly younger option than Nestorovski and can still be productive at this level. If Varazdin are giving up on Dabro, he would be a possibility also.
Istra 1961
Manager - There’s no names in the frame as a replacement for Garcia yet save to say that it’ll probably be a young Spanish coach.
Outgoings - See Hajduk’s incomings. More seriously, there’s interest in Ville Koski, Dario Maresic and Vinko Rozic and Gagua’s rise into the full Georgia side will draw onlookers. Finally, Mateo Lisica is close to joining Dinamo.
Incomings - Difficult to say given that there’s no indication who Istra want to bring in as head coach and that, more than any club, Istra’s scouting is sticking a pin in a map - they’ve been focusing on the Asian market so another debutant to Europe a la Taichi Hara could be considered quite likely - Shingo Nakano’s prodigious scoring record in Singapore may well make him a possible but it’s really anyone’s guess.
Osijek
Outgoings - 24/25 was very nearly disastrous and, for one of Croatia’s big four, that they were in serious relegation trouble up to the final few games was unacceptable. With Simon Rozman in and a new (old) sporting director in Alen Petrovic. Going are Petar Pusic, Marko Soldo, Pedro Lima, Tiago Dants, Hernani and Alessandro Tuia but going nowhere is Nail Omerovic who signed a new contract while being a dribbling monster. You’d imagine there’s a couple of other names they’d happily let go (such as Kemal Ademi) and there’s the possibility someone comes in with a good offer for Domagoj Bukvic.
Incomings - Osijek don’t need a striker with Jakupovic there and Matkovic coming back to fitness means this area is well stocked. Realistically, Osijek have a reasonably good side but the outgoings basically leave them short an entire midfield. They’ll confirm Hrvoje Babec’s loan into a buy to solve one part of that. Given Rozman has worked with Danijel Sturm before, he will surely be on his list also, and you would expect them in on the Pajaziti race also. They want speed, they want pressing, they’re looking for up to ten players and will cast their net wide.
Lokomotiva
Manager - Nikica Jelavic will step up into the main role after a while in the youth teams.
Outgoings - Some loans go back to Dinamo, most notably, Luka Vrbancic, and Mudrazija is away to Dinamo also. Of more import will be any sales they make - Feta Fetai has been looked at by a few clubs, Art Smakaj has developed into someone ready to step up a level and is on a lot of people’s lists this summer.
Incomings - While that’s potentially quite a lot of outgoings, I’d expect the Fetai, Smakaj and Mudrazija deals to be covered partly internally with Krivak and partly Dinamo-ly by bringing in Branko Pavic on loan. Lokomotiva has long been a landing place for good players returning to the league for their twilight years also so it’d be hard not to look at Franko Andrijasevic’s time in China drawing to a close as a bat signal to the club and similarly for Josip Vukovic in Turkey. It’s also worth remembering who we’re talking about as well - this is Lokomotiva with an incredible youth system and they consistently bring through a good player every season and no club in Croatia scouts Albania and Kosovo better.
Gorica
Outgoings - Ivan Banic, long time GK, has gone. Kresimir Krizmanic is going also. Jurica Prsir is long overdue a move. Their best player this season was Pajaziti on loan, who isn’t coming back and you’d be quicker going through whose contract isn’t up than whose is. In short - trouble looks ahead.
Incomings - Of their last serious game this season (vs Hajduk), nine of the starting eleven are out of contract with those remaining being Erceg (35) and Mikanovic (31) - Prsir was on the bench to make sure he didn’t get injured. Gorica need pretty much everything - while their attacking options are surprisingly OK (Erceg, Cuic and Kolar aren’t great, but they aren’t terrible) and they have a couple of decent young options to push forward like Kapulica, they are losing their entire first choice defence and GK without really even the back-ups being at the club. Casting their net far and wide will be needed - returners to the league like Lirim Kastrati or newbies such as Valmir Veliu are attacking options, Karlo Bartolec may be a defensive one and the GK market is at least reasonably healthy with Condric and Orbanic as options but, whoever, there’s a lot of work on.
Side notes
Look, you know it, I know it, we all know it - Ante Rebic has probably had his last chance in a top five league. He’s from Split and someone’s probably going to take a chance on him - it’s more likely that he goes to Asia, I’d expect, but someone will do it.
Someone will also get linked to Edin Dzeko. In fact, I think Hajduk have already. That would be nonsense but there’s many and older prominent Bosnian available who probably need to take a step down in level - Pjanic, Cimirot and Prevljak all fit that category. See also: Benjamin Verbic.
Kresimir Krizmanic of Gorica is going but there’s not really any word where - he’s been too good a player not to get a shot outside Croatia but the interest has never really seemed to be there. Rijeka don’t need him but he’d be a nice to have.