While OL is going through a hectic period between the double confrontation against Manchester United and the final sprint for European tickets in Ligue 1, some players shine far from the Rhodanian spotlight. This is the case of Amin Sarr. The Swedish striker trained in Malmö FF had joined Olympique Lyonnais in January 2023 from SC Heerenveen for around 11 to 12 million euros. Despite promising beginnings, he had not managed to impose himself in the Lyon workforce, only scoring only one goal in 18 appearances. During the 2023-2024 season, the 24-year-old was loaned to the VFL Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga, where he did not find the net in 14 games. Back in Lyon, Amin Sarr had been placed in the “loft”, training group away from the holders, pending a new opportunity on the summer transfer window.
On August 27, 2024, OL thus formalized the loan of Amin Sarr to the Hellas Verona in Serie A for the 2024-2025 season, with a purchase option set at 5 million euros. The Italian club thus supported more than 50 % of its salary. This loan represented a chance for Sarr to relaunch his career in a new championship, after experiences in Sweden, the Netherlands, France and Germany. OL hoped that this opportunity would allow the attacker to regain his level and, potentially, to make a final transfer in the end of the season. And after more than 6 months under the colors of the Gialloblu, Amin Sarr is gradually finding confidence – whether on the field but also in the locker room.
A more than successful loan
In 25 appearances of all competitions, Amin Sarr has scored 4 goals and issued 1 decisive pass, thus contributing to the efforts of his team to maintain himself in the elite of Italian football: “The season of Amin Sarr in Verona so far has certainly been positive, with 25 appearances and 4 goals, the Swedish has become a key player in the offensive department available to Mr. Paolo Zanetti with whom he has become an indisputable holder. The reception of the supporters was positive, it is always difficult to create expectations on players coming from abroad and unknown to most, but the Hellenes supporters have now got used to the bets of the sports director Sean Sogliano and this bet from what we have seen so far may be won», Confides the journalist Francesco Galvagni who is based in Verona for Web Mercato Tutto. But it is difficult to discuss the season of Amin Sarr without recalling the particular collective context. Even if the Gialloblu did not experience any change of coach during the season, now a total confidence in Paolo Zanetti, the results were very irregular, playing the maintenance in the shallows of Serie A for a majority of the 2024/2025 exercise.
One of his significant moments of the season was his goal against Parma on December 15, 2024, helping the Hellas Verona to win 3-2 outside and temporarily leaving the relegation zone. Used mainly as a left winger, Sarr has been useful in the game system of his coach, Paolo Zanetti. Its loan, with a purchase option set at 5 million euros, could be lifted if its performance is maintained, thus offering OL an opportunity to conclude a final transfer. Beyond his performances, Amin Sarr also takes on the role of leader in the press, not hesitating to come to press conferences or to react hot with the final whistles: “We kept our invited cage for the first time and we managed to win. We have marked, we won … It's very important to us. I feel good, better and better. I am an attacker so I like to play near the goal to try to create as many opportunities as possible“He said after the mad victory of his team against La Fiorentina was said to be done last.
What future in Verona?
With much better collective results in recent weeks, the Hellas Verona has been able to take valuable points, allowing the Véronis club to move away from the red zone, now camping 14th place. In this sense, seven days before the end, the new direction carried by the Italian-American investment fund Presidio Investors, can start to have your eyes turned to the future: “Amin's final signature will depend a lot on the decisions of the new American owner who took over during the season. Verone has an option to buy 5 million which could also be exercised if they decide to confirm a core of players and not to demobilize and then rebuild the team as has happened in the past 4/5 seasons“Concluded the Italian journalist Francesco Galvagni. And according to our information, the Hellas Verona has planned to meet the player and his entourage in the coming weeks in order to discuss the possibility of continuing the adventure together.
Indeed, the new direction carried out by the Italian -American president Italo Zanzi of the company Presidio Investors (which bought 100% of the club's shares in January 2025) was above all concerned with the maintenance in Serie A – Absolute priority during this internal transition period, before thinking of the next summer transfer window. While the troops of Paolo Zanetti are getting closer to this coveted maintenance, the first plans for summer will soon be developed between the former leaders (Maurizio Setti, Sean Sogliano, Simona Gioè) who ensure the transition and the new thinking heads of the offices (Italo Zanzi, Gennaro Leo, Christian Puscasiu and Sean Foley) keep ready to draw the future of Hellas Verone. A future that could therefore be written with Amin Sarr.
