Red Star Belgrade Faces Player Sales After Shocking Champions League Exit to Hapoel Be'er Sheva

Hapoel Be'er Sheva stunned Red Star Belgrade earlier this week with a 2-0 away victory and a 3-0 aggregate win, advancing to the UEFA Champions League playoffs. The Serbian champions are now dealing with the fallout from this unexpected defeat. Red Star's CEO, Zvezdan Terzić, announced that several players will leave the club as part of a necessary squad overhaul following the failure.

According to Serbian media outlet INFORMER and Sportal, the first confirmed departure is Armenian national team left-back Nair Tiknizyan. Greek club Olympiacos has accelerated negotiations to sign Tiknizyan, offering €5 million, while Red Star demands €6 million. The gap is reportedly negotiable. Tiknizyan joined Red Star in June 2025 from Lokomotiv Moscow for around €2 million, so the club stands to make a significant profit if the transfer completes.

Terzić also highlighted the need to reduce the squad size due to budget constraints and team dynamics. Mahmoud Bajou, a Gambian defensive midfielder signed last summer for €3.5 million, is attracting interest from other clubs as well. Terzić noted that Bajou, along with players Hendel, Lucic, and Rodrigo, are currently training separately in what is referred to as "the cage" (a form of exclusion). He emphasized the importance of easing the squad load to manage salary budgets, maintain locker room harmony, improve training processes, and generate transfer income.

The developments mark a significant shakeup at Red Star Belgrade as they regroup following their Champions League exit to the Israeli club Hapoel Be'er Sheva.