Ćaleta-Car returns to Lyon after loan spell: Real Sociedad did not activate the purchase option
Duje Ćaleta-Car is ending his episode at Real Sociedad and returning to Olympique Lyonnais after one season spent on loan at the Spanish club. On May 25, 2026, Real Sociedad officially confirmed the end of the loan spells of Ćaleta-Car and Brazilian winger Wesley Gassova and announced that it would not use the purchase options it had for both players. This confirmed that the 29-year-old Croatian centre-back will return, upon the expiry of the agreement, to the club from which he arrived in San Sebastián last summer. According to information published when the deal was concluded, Lyon sent Ćaleta-Car on a one-year paid loan, and the agreement included the possibility of a purchase for four million euros. Since that option was not used, his further status once again moves into the domain of the French club, with which he is tied by contract until the summer of 2027.
Real Sociedad confirmed the end of the loan
In a statement published after the end of the season, Real Sociedad stated that Ćaleta-Car and Wesley Gassova had been part of a successful competitive year, but at the same time clearly made it known that their loans would not continue as permanent transfers. The Spanish club thanked the players for their professionalism and commitment and wished them success in the continuation of their careers. The EFE agency reported that Real Sociedad would not activate the purchase options for the two loaned footballers, with Ćaleta-Car returning to Olympique Lyonnais, while Wesley returns to Saudi club Al-Nassr. The decision comes after a season in which Real Sociedad won the Copa del Rey and finished the league in the middle of the La Liga table. According to the club’s official website, Real Sociedad ended the season in tenth place with 46 points, which further emphasizes the summer reconstruction of the squad.
For Ćaleta-Car, the end of the loan is important also because he did not come to Real Sociedad merely as a short-term replacement, but as a player brought in to immediately bring experience to the defence. When he was presented at the Basque club on August 1, 2025, Real Sociedad stated that he was a centre-back with international experience, a player accustomed to playing on the left side of central defence and one who could help build play from the back line. The club then emphasized that the loan had been agreed until the end of the 2025/2026 season and that it retained the right to buy out the contract. Such wording meant that the Spanish side was not obliged to pay the transfer fee, but could make the final decision after assessing the player’s impact throughout the entire season. According to the available information, the assessment of the sporting department ultimately did not lead to a permanent engagement.
The agreement with Lyon was financially limited
According to the announcement by Eagle Football Group, the business structure connected with Olympique Lyonnais, Ćaleta-Car’s loan to Real Sociedad was worth 500,000 euros, while the purchase option amounted to four million euros. That framework shows that in the summer of 2025 Lyon sought to reduce the burden of the squad and wages, but without completely giving up on the player. French media at the time of the transfer reported that the departure of the Croatian defender was part of Lyon’s broader attempt to adapt the team to financial constraints and sporting changes. In such a context, the loan gave Real Sociedad an experienced centre-back without a large initial investment, and gave Lyon temporary relief and the possibility of future income. The Spanish club’s decision not to pay the purchase clause means that this financial solution did not turn into a permanent transfer.
Lyon must now again decide what to do with a player who has experience in several strong European leagues, but who is not returning to a completely simple situation. Ćaleta-Car arrived at Lyon after an episode at Southampton, and before that he had been an important player for Marseille for years and earlier for Red Bull Salzburg. He already has a significant number of appearances in French football and knows well the demands of Ligue 1, but the question is whether he will fit into the plans of the coaching staff for the 2026/2027 season or whether the club will seek a new solution on the market. Since his contract with Lyon is valid for one more season, the French club has room for negotiations, but also the need for a clear sporting decision before the start of preparations. In such circumstances, a return from loan does not automatically have to mean staying in the squad.
The season in San Sebastián brought minutes, but not a permanent stay
Ćaleta-Car had a significant role at Real Sociedad during the season, although his performance, according to the assessments of the Spanish media, was not enough to convince the club to pay the purchase option. AS reported that the Croatian centre-back collected 32 appearances, 2,629 minutes and one goal for Real Sociedad during the season. The same source states that his engagement was active, but that his performances did not fully meet the expectations that accompanied the signing of the experienced defender. ESPN’s statistics for La Liga show him as a player who was often in the starting line-up during the league season, confirming that he was not an episodic member of the squad. Despite this, Real Sociedad decided at the end of the season that it would build the defensive line without a permanent buyout of his contract.
Such a decision can also be viewed through the club’s broader defensive context. Real Sociedad had changes in the back line during the season, and Spanish media also wrote about the need to renew the defence after the end of the competitive year. Captain Aritz Elustondo is leaving the club after the expiry of his contract, and players such as Igor Zubeldia, Jon Martín and other centre-backs rotated through the team during the season. Ćaleta-Car was brought in as a player who could immediately bring stability, but the final decision shows that the club assessed that it would direct the money earmarked for the purchase differently. In the summer transfer window, Real Sociedad will have to find a balance between continuity, the development of younger players and experience in the back line. The return of Ćaleta-Car to Lyon is therefore not only individual news, but also part of a broader reshuffle in San Sebastián.
An experienced Croatian centre-back with a rich European path
Duje Ćaleta-Car was born on September 17, 1996, in Šibenik, and he built his professional path gradually through Croatian, Austrian, French, English and Spanish football. After his beginnings in Šibenik, he established himself in the Red Bull Salzburg system, where he gained experience playing in European competitions and winning trophies. He arrived at Marseille in 2018 and spent several seasons there in the demanding environment of French top-flight football. After that he went to Southampton and then to Lyon, from which he was sent on loan to Real Sociedad. Such a path shows that he is a defender who has become accustomed to adapting to different styles of play, from the high tempo of Austria, through French physical demands, to the English and Spanish competitive frameworks.
According to data from the Croatian Football Federation, Ćaleta-Car has recorded 38 appearances and one goal for the Croatian senior national team, and he made his first appearance for the senior national team on June 3, 2018. Although he was not always a regular first-team player for the national team, he remained part of the wider circle of centre-backs who, in different periods, were available to the coach. His height, aerial play and experience in defences with four and three players make him a profile that can fit into different systems. At Real Sociedad he got the opportunity to show those characteristics in La Liga, but the season did not end with a permanent agreement. His return to Lyon therefore opens a new phase in his career in which he will again have to fight for a clear role.
What the return means for Lyon
For Lyon, the return of Ćaleta-Car is above all a squad and financial issue. At the start of preparations, the club will have to assess how much it needs a centre-back of his profile, especially if new changes are planned in the dressing room. Since the loan to Real Sociedad was concluded with a clearly defined purchase option, Lyon could count on possible income of four million euros, but that scenario did not materialize. According to the earlier announcement about the transfer, the loan brought 500,000 euros, but a permanent outgoing transfer was not realized. This means that the player returns to the balance sheet and sporting plans of the French club, at least until a new decision is made.
From a sporting perspective, Ćaleta-Car returns with continuity of appearances, which can be useful for Lyon if it decides to keep him. He is not a player coming after a season without minutes, but a defender who played regularly in Spain and maintained his competitive rhythm. On the other hand, if Lyon assesses that his salary or player profile does not suit the new project, the summer of 2026 could bring another outgoing transfer or a new loan. In the football market, players under contract until 2027 often enter a sensitive phase of negotiations because clubs must decide whether they want to extend the cooperation, sell them before the contract expires or risk reduced negotiating value. Precisely for that reason, Ćaleta’s return to France will also be watched through the prism of Lyon’s market strategy.
Real Sociedad continues its reshuffle after a trophy-winning season
Real Sociedad ended the 2025/2026 season with an important trophy, but also with questions about the squad for the next year. According to EFE’s report, the club emphasized in its statement that Ćaleta-Car and Wesley Gassova were part of the season in which the team once again won the Copa del Rey title. At the same time, the league performance was not equally striking because, according to the official standings, Real Sociedad finished in tenth place in La Liga. Such an outcome often leads to a double assessment: the club can be satisfied with the trophy, but must analyze why in the league it was not closer to the places that lead to European competitions through the championship. The decision not to activate the purchase options is part of that process of rationalization and selection of priorities.
Within that framework, Ćaleta-Car leaves San Sebastián without a permanent contract, but not without leaving a mark. He was brought in as the first summer addition in defence for the 2025/2026 season, played a significant number of matches and was part of the team that won the Copa del Rey. For the club, however, the performance of the loaned player had to be convincing enough to justify an additional investment and a long-term obligation. Real Sociedad decided that this threshold had not been reached, so it is turning to other solutions in defence. Ćaleta-Car, on the other hand, will await preparations for the new season as a Lyon player, with the open question of whether he will stay there or whether negotiations about a change of environment will reopen during the summer.
Sources:
- Real Sociedad – official announcement on the loan of Duje Ćaleta-Car from Lyon and the purchase option (link)
- Eagle Football Group / Actusnews – announcement on the paid loan, the loan amount and the purchase option of four million euros (link)
- Infobae / EFE – news about the official end of the loans of Ćaleta-Car and Wesley Gassova at Real Sociedad (link)
- Real Sociedad – official page with the final La Liga table and club information after the end of the season (link)
- AS – report on the end of Ćaleta-Car’s episode at Real Sociedad and his seasonal minutes (link)
- Croatian Football Federation – profile of Duje Ćaleta-Car and data on appearances for the senior national team (link)
- ESPN – statistics of Duje Ćaleta-Car’s league appearances in the 2025/2026 season (link)