Official: Köln loan Duda out to Verona
Köln midfielder Ondrej Duda is officially headed to Hellas Verona on loan with a purchase option.
Germany's cathedral city side has completed the loan-out of Slovak midfielder Ondrej Duda. Both clubs confirmed the move late Sunday afternoon. Italian transfer expert Nicolò Schira reports that the Serie A side have secured a purchase option of €2.6 million. Schira also reports that Köln have built a re-sale share into the deal. These two clauses were the reasons that the transfer took so long to confirm.
Duda actually made 13 league appearances for die Geißböcke this season. Köln head-coach Steffen Baumgart even started the 28-year-old eight times. The club nevertheless now feels satisfied with the likes of Denis Huseinbasic, Dejan Ljubicic, and Mathias Olesen ahead of him. Duda quickly became expendable.
"Ondrej approached us with the desire for a change," Köln sporting director Christian Keller noted in a statement released by the club, "We agreed to this request. We wish ondrej all the best during his time in Verona."
Verona, after taking on Hertha's Deyovaisio Zeefuik and Dortmund's Jayden Braaf, now have three Bundesliga players on loan. Duda has contributed eleven goals and eight assists in 88 appearances for "die Effzeh" since transferring from Hertha BSC in September of 2020.
A WARM WELCOME TO VERONA, 𝐃𝐔𝐃𝐀! 💪💛💙#HVFC #WelcomeDuda @dudao_10 pic.twitter.com/68vHR8japW
— Hellas Verona FC (@HellasVeronaFC) January 29, 2023