Surprise return! Former Bayern Munich talent set for a move to the Bundesliga

Gabriel Vidovic are having a third attempt in the top flight of German football: after spells at his youth club Bayern Munich and Mainz, he is now joining promoted side SC Paderborn, according to Croatian media reports.

According to a report by Sportske Novosti, SCP are set to pay a transfer fee of around three million euros for the 22-year-old left winger from Dinamo Zagreb. The move has caused some surprise in Croatia, given he only joined the record champions last summer and signed a contract until 2029.

The report says Vidovic explicitly asked for a transfer. He was already left out of Dinamo's squad for the league match on Friday evening.

Vidovic dreams of a breakthrough at Bayern Munich

Born in Augsburg, Vidovic moved from FCA to Bayern Munich at the age of 12 and was long regarded there as a huge talent. He later got a taste of the first team under former coach Julian Nagelsmann and made his Bundesliga debut.

He then had an unspectacular loan spell at Vitesse Arnhem (2022/23) and a promising one at Dinamo a year later, which he spoke about to SPOX in an exclusive interview.

So far, though, the dream of making his breakthrough at Bayern has not come true. After another loan move, this time in the Bundesliga with FSV Mainz 05, he returned to Zagreb on a permanent basis in summer 2025 for 1.2 million euros, where Vidovic developed strongly.