Dinamo Zagreb had been preparing to sign Dor Peretz, but the deal fell apart at the last moment and the midfielder is now expected to remain at Maccabi Tel Aviv, as reported earlier by ynet on Sunday. Croatian media said Peretz visited the club, toured its facilities and even wore a Dinamo shirt, but ultimately chose not to move to Croatia. People around Peretz say they never informed Zagreb that the transfer had been canceled.
According to a report in Sportske Novosti, citing Dinamo sources, Peretz thanked the club for its hospitality and apologized repeatedly for reversing course. The story said he “apologized ten times.” The same report claimed family considerations, especially his wife’s wish not to leave Israel at this stage, were a major reason he stayed.
Peretz had already reached an initial agreement with Dinamo and met club president Zvonimir Boban. Last week he flew to Croatia with his wife to assess the club and life there, and had promised to give a final answer in the following days. Maccabi Tel Aviv then asked him to wait, as the club tried again to keep him at Kiryat Shalom.
Maccabi Tel Aviv is expected to offer the 31-year-old captain a three-year contract with an option for one more season, at a base salary of 450,000 euros per year plus bonuses that could reach 200,000 euros. The club sees the deal as a sign of its determination to retain one of its key leaders and players. Peretz’s camp says the Zagreb trip was not meant to pressure Maccabi, and that his preference throughout was to stay. He did not seriously consider other options beyond Dinamo, while Maccabi reopened talks amid fan protests, a shortage of top Israeli players on the market, and the possibility of major departures from the squad.
