Ljubicic returns to his roots: move to Dinamo Zagreb sealed!

Ljubicic returns to his roots: move to Dinamo Zagreb sealed!

An important change in Cologne football: Dejan Ljubicic has left the Billy Goats and will now wear the Dinamo Zagreb jersey. The defensive midfielder signed a multi-year contract and will wear the number 77 in Croatia. His heart has beaten for the Croatian club since he was a child, and now his dream has come true. How t online reports, Ljubicic is looking forward to the new challenges and the opportunity to celebrate potential title wins with Dinamo.

Ljubicic can look back on some successes during his time at 1. FC Köln. In his four years at the club he played 122 competitive games and scored 16 goals. His market value was at times up to 10 million euros, which also brought the Cologne team some lucrative offers, for example from VfL Wolfsburg. Nevertheless, FC refused to allow this move and now the player is leaving on a free transfer when his contract expires on June 30, 2025. This decision has the bitter aftertaste for Cologne that no financial benefit can be derived from the transfer, as stated in another article transfer market was explained.

A new chapter at Dinamo Zagreb

Dejan Ljubicic, who is also the brother of former Dinamo player Robert Ljubicic, said when signing his contract that it was a great honor for him to wear the Dinamo jersey. He hopes his new team will win the league title this season. Ljubicic's current market value is €5 million and he will be used as both a defensive and central midfielder. His contract in Zagreb runs until June 30, 2029.

But Ljubicic isn't the only one making headlines. 1. FC Köln recently extended the contract with goalkeeper Matthias Köbbing until 2027. Köbbing will remain in the squad as the fourth goalkeeper, who will primarily be used in training. Also on hold is the talented goalkeeper Alessandro Blazic, whose new contract is still a long time coming. Blazic could also become the number three professional player.

Outlook for the new season

The DFB Cup season will soon begin for Cologne. For the third time in five years, FC will face SSV Jahn Regensburg, where the Cologne team were eliminated on penalties in 2021 and 2022. Sports director Thomas Kessler was optimistic about the competitive debut of new coach Lukas Kwasniok. The first round of the DFB Cup is scheduled for August 15th to 18th, 2025.

Furthermore, 1. FC Köln is interested in a transfer of the flexible offensive player Joel Monteiro from Young Boys Bern. Monteiro scored seven goals last season and is under contract until 2026. A transfer fee of between two and three million euros is considered realistic. Rumors about former coach Gerhard Struber, who may be looking for a new job at Bristol City, are increasing the dynamics in the Cologne area.

The coming weeks have some exciting developments in store, both for Dejan Ljubicic in Zagreb and for 1. FC Köln.