Greek football powers Olympiacos and Panathinaikos are pushing for major midfield signings, targeting Gustavo Puerta and Jens Stage in multi-million euro transfer negotiations.
Olympiacos are actively negotiating for Colombian international midfielder Gustavo Puerta, who has been the Piraeus club's primary transfer priority for the central midfield from the start of the summer window. Reports abroad also link Olympiacos with moves for Vargas, Alvarez, and Joakim Mæhle, but club officials remain focused on securing Puerta from Spanish side Santander.
Negotiations for Puerta remain difficult as Santander demand a transfer fee of 20 million euros. Olympiacos hope that Puerta's preference for the move will help unblock negotiations, even as English Premier League club Nottingham Forest monitor the midfielder's situation.
Panathinaikos Pursue Stage and Plan Departures
Athens rivals Panathinaikos are concentrating their efforts on Danish midfielder Jens Stage as their primary target to reinforce the central midfield. Panathinaikos official Kotsolis is preparing a renewed approach for the player, despite German side Werder Bremen insisting on a valuation close to 15 million euros.
Stage is open to leaving Werder Bremen for a new environment, a stance that Panathinaikos believe could prove decisive in talks. Panathinaikos management plan to exhaust all efforts to land Stage before considering alternative candidates on their shortlist.
The club is also working to streamline its squad following an agreement to sell midfielder Adam Cerin. Panathinaikos intend to accelerate player exits after their second-leg match against Czech team Hradec Králové to remove wages for players outside the first-team plans.
Greece national team captain Tasos Bakasetas and midfielder Sissoko face the prospective termination of their contracts. Bakasetas has not settled on his next destination, though a potential move to Turkey remains open. Bakasetas hoped to stay in Greece, but domestic rivals PAOK are the only Greek side capable of completing a deal.
Greek Refereeing Debate and AEK European Target
Off the pitch, Hellenic Football Federation president Makis Gagatsis has drawn scrutiny from top Greek clubs following recent comments on domestic refereeing. Gagatsis stated that hostility and toxicity in Greek football have decreased sufficiently to allow local referees to officiate major derby matches again.
However, Gagatsis simultaneously supported refereeing chief Stephane Lanoy's decision to omit weekly video reviews of controversial match decisions. Club officials questioned why official refereeing explanations should be suppressed if derby hostility has genuinely declined.
Meanwhile, AEK Athens are preparing for their pivotal Champions League qualifier second leg against Bulgarian club Levski Sofia. AEK manager Marko Nikolic has kept his squad focused following a domestic Super Cup defeat, noting encouragement from their league opening victory over Iraklis.
Qualifying for the Champions League League Phase represents a key goal for AEK Athens, offering prestige, morale, tens of millions of euros in European revenue, and funds for late transfer activity.
