AEK eager for attacking trio to stay in Athens
AEK would like to keep the attacking trio of Marko Livaja, Nelson Oliveira, and Sergio Araujo in Athens for next season, but the financial impact of coronavirus has complicated that task.
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It’s an exciting time for AEK fans with talented forwards Araujo, Livaja, and Oliveira all on the club’s books. In March, the coronavirus pandemic put an end to the season at the worst possible time for AEK, with the Enosi having made a huge improvement under the leadership of Massimo Carrera and only trailing second-placed PAOK by a single point. Despite the somewhat uncertain future, AEK need to already begin planning for the 2020/2021 campaign, and in an ideal world, Carrera would like to keep the three mentioned attacking players in the squad. The health crisis, however, has complicated matters with all clubs set to suffer a big financial hit.
Let’s take a look at the outlooks of Araujo, Livaja, and Oliveira at AEK in the summer transfer window:
Sergio Araujo
The Argentine forward, adored by the AEK faithful, was given a hero’s welcome when joining on loan from Las Palmas for the third time in January. Not long after signing, Araujo promptly scored the winner against Panathinaikos, inspiring AEK to their maiden derby triumph since April 2018. However, that turned out to be the only goal that Araujo scored in the second half of the campaign, and head coach, Massimo Carrera, has been eager to see his capabilities in the championship playoffs.
AEK must pay Las Palmas 2.7 million euros if they are to sign Araujo permanently. If AEK decide to let him go, however, they will subsequently be obliged to pay a compensation fee of 200,000 to the Spanish club. Initially, it seemed that the signing of Araujo would be a formality, but the financial impact of the coronavirus has changed the state of play.
Araujo, 28, does want to stay at AEK. Las Palmas, in the knowledge that no other club will pay such a fee for Araujo, are eager for AEK to pay up. Reports from Sport FM have suggested that AEK will decide to sign him permanently.
Marko Livaja
The feisty Croat has been a standout figure for AEK and Greek club football since his arrival from Las Palmas in July 2017. Previously, Livaja was known for having encountered several disciplinary issues in his career, but he settled at AEK and has largely stayed out of trouble. Gifted with wonderful technical ability, the 26-year-old forward provides AEK with great flair, netting nine goals and dishing out nine assists this season across all tournaments. Italian clubs are known to be in favour of signing him from AEK.
In January, SPAL reportedly submitted a bid of four million for Livaja, but it was quickly dismissed by the Enosi. With the COVID-19 disaster having caused serious financial implications, a bid exceeding five million could persuade AEK to sell, although the club are focused on keeping him.
Nelson Oliveira
Oliveira, 28, made the jump to Athens from Norwich last summer having fallen out of favour in England. In the first half of the campaign, the Portuguese forward impressed with his goalscoring antics in the league, grabbing nine goals, including a hat trick against Panionios at the Olympic Stadium. In January, Wolverhampton Wanderers offered AEK about five million for Oliveira, but they didn’t activate his release clause of 6.5 million and opted against signing him.
Nevertheless, with Oliveira’s contract set to expire in 2021, AEK will sell the striker in the off-season if they can’t agree on a renewal. The Kitrinomavri cannot afford to see Oliveira potentially leave the club for free next year.
