Hajduk wants former Rijeka star, €500,000 salary stalls the deal
Coach Gonzalo Garcia knows Lindon Selahi well from their time together at Twente, but Widzew demands the full amount of his salary be taken over.
Coach Gonzalo Garcia knows Lindon Selahi well from their time together at Twente, but Widzew demands the full amount of his salary be taken over.
Hajduk has recently renewed contacts with the aim of bringing in Lindon Selahi, the former Rijeka midfielder and current Albanian international. However, the deal faces a serious financial obstacle: the high salary the 27-year-old currently earns at Polish club Widzew Łódź.
His agent, Adrian Aliaj, confirmed to Index that there is clear interest from the Split club, but also revealed a key detail slowing down negotiations. "Hajduk has called me several times and we've discussed the possibility of a loan. Gonzalo Garcia worked with Selahi at Twente and knows him very well, but the problem is the salary. Widzew wants the club that brings him in to cover his entire salary," Aliaj said.
Selahi's situation at the Polish club has changed dramatically in recent weeks. Although he signed a three-year contract with Widzew last summer after three very successful seasons at Rijeka, he now finds himself on the fringes. In the first two rounds of the new season, in which his club has managed just two points, he has spent only nine minutes on the pitch.
Such a status is a major drop compared to last season, when he was a regular starter. Agent Aliaj does not hide that they are considering a change of scenery. "The player still has two years left on his contract with Widzew. Of course, he wants to play more and we are considering other options, but the problem is his contract because he has a high salary. We'll see what happens by the end of the transfer window," he added.
One of the main advocates for this transfer is Hajduk coach Gonzalo Garcia, who worked with Selahi at Dutch club Twente. It is this collaboration that makes him an ideal judge of the player's qualities, which is why he sees him as a reinforcement for the midfield.
Selahi, who joined Rijeka in 2021, made 153 official appearances for the club, scoring nine goals and providing four assists. Before that, he played for Willem II, Standard Liège, and Twente, and he came through the youth academy at Anderlecht. Although born in Belgium, he chose to represent Albania and has been a regular international in recent years.
The main stumbling block to the transfer is Selahi's annual salary, which, according to Index's information, amounts to around €500,000. That figure is well above the wage bracket in which Hajduk operates. The club from Poljud is trying to find a financial model that would make the deal feasible, but so far Widzew is not willing to contribute to covering part of their player's wages.
From a sporting perspective, Selahi seems like a player who would easily fit into Garcia's system. He is a midfielder who can cover the defensive or central midfield positions, known for his composure on the ball, vision, and wide range of movement. After a convincing victory over Žalgiris, the focus at Hajduk has shifted back to the market, and Selahi is emerging as one of the most prominent names linked with Poljud. There is still time for a compromise before the end of the transfer window, but without resolving the salary issue, the transfer will remain difficult to pull off.
