Azzedine Ounahi to Panathinaikos
Girona playmaker returns for €14m

1. 2 Sept
   Official announcement

   Panathinaikos confirmed the signing of Ounahi from Girona via a club social media statement.
2. 1 Sept
   Verbal agreement reached

   Girona and Panathinaikos were reported to have reached a final verbal agreement over the transfer.

Panathinaikos have brought Azzedine Ounahi back to Athens on a permanent deal from Girona, reuniting the midfielder with the club where he was voted Player of the Season while on loan.

Panathinaikos have completed the signing of Azzedine Ounahi from Girona, confirming the move with a social media announcement on Wednesday 2 September under the message "The magic is back." Reports before the announcement, including from Foot Mercato journalist Santi Aouna, put the fee at around €14-15 million, with Girona keeping a sell-on clause worth a percentage of any future sale. The two clubs were reported to have reached a verbal agreement on 1 September, with the announcement following a day later. Ounahi has signed a four-year contract, and reports in Greece put his salary at roughly €2.7 million a year, the highest in the Panathinaikos squad.

The move is a return rather than a fresh venture. Ounahi spent the 2024-25 season on loan at Panathinaikos from Marseille and was voted the club's Player of the Season by supporters, so this is a familiar face coming back into a dressing room and a system he already knows. Panathinaikos moved quickly once talks with Girona advanced, seeing off competition from Ajax, PSV Eindhoven and Saudi club Al-Ittihad by offering the biggest salary on the table. Getting the paperwork done inside Greece's transfer window, which runs until 15 September, also means Ounahi can be registered in time for Panathinaikos's Conference League campaign as well as their Super League title challenge.

For Girona, this is a straightforward sale of a player who had become one of their better performers, at a time when the club needs to balance its books. Ounahi arrived at the Estadi Montilivi last year following his loan spell in Greece, and quickly established himself in central midfield. But Girona were relegated from La Liga last season after finishing 19th, and moving on a talented, saleable midfielder for a fee in the mid-teens of millions eases the financial pressure of dropping into Spain's second tier while still allowing the club to bank a future percentage if he moves on again.

Ounahi's form backs up the fee. In his only season at Girona he made 24 La Liga appearances, scoring five goals and adding two assists from central midfield, useful output for a player whose game is built more on ball-carrying and creating chances than finishing. He also had a strong World Cup with Morocco over the summer, helping his country reach the quarter-finals and scoring twice in the last-16 win over Canada. Those performances reminded clubs what he is capable of after a difficult spell following his move from Angers to Marseille in 2022, when he struggled to hold down a regular starting place before going out on loan to Panathinaikos.

At Panathinaikos he is expected to operate in the same box-to-box midfield role that made him a fans' favourite during his loan spell, carrying the ball forward from deep and looking to create chances for the front line. He arrives with Conference League football and a Super League title race both to plan for, and because the club and player already know each other from last season, there should be little settling-in period before he is a regular starter again.

• Announced by the clubs100

A sourcing score, not a chance of completion: it grades how solid the reporting behind the move is. The stage and the evidence come from the sources listed below; the arithmetic is fixed in code, the same for every deal.

• Official: Ounahi Returns to Panathinaikos in Reported €15 Million Move
• Ounahi Nears Panathinaikos Return After Clubs Reach Verbal Deal
• An official statement reveals Azzedine Ounahi's new team
• Highest at the club: record salary brings Ounahi closer to his new side