EXCLUSIVE: Wels Waits on Dundee United as Austria Vienna Reject Second Offer

EXCLUSIVE: Dundee United See £400,000 Package Rejected as Wels Move Goes to Final Hours

Football Park exclusively understands that Austria Vienna have turned away a £400,000 offer from Dundee United for exciting 21-year-old attacking midfielder Moritz Wels, with this being the second time the Scottish outfit have had a bid rejected for the player.

Wels, who spent last season on loan with another Austrian top flight side in WSG Tirol, played 30 Bundesliga games last season, scoring five goals and assisting two, and has been subject to considerable interest this summer - German sides have also known to have asked about the player.

🚨 EXCLUSIVE:

FootballPark understands Austria Vienna have rejected a second offer from Dundee United for Moritz Wels, worth around €400k including add-ons. pic.twitter.com/ekWN5TvgPJ

— Football Park (@thefootballpark) September 1, 2026

Scots Stalled as Austrians Look For More

With his official transfer value sitting at just a shade under £800,000, it is clear that Dundee United are trying to low-ball Austria Vienna into a more reasonable agreement. However, their negotiations will have to be flawless from start to finish if this is to be the case, as it couldn’t be more clear that Austria Vienna rate the player, who can play across left, right and centre behind the striker, extremely highly.

Austria Vienna signed Wels from Sturm Graz in 2023, where he had made history by becoming the youngest Austrian to ever play in the Europa League, coming on against Real Sociedad at 17 years and 1 months.

The U19 Austrian international was immediately introduced to the Austria Vienna senior squad aged just 18, and though he failed to score in his first 25 appearances for the club, loan spells to SV Stripting and then Tirol underlined that the club were willing to back the young talent.

Brought back to the first team this season, Wels netted his first senior goal for his parent club, scoring against FK Liepaja in Conference League qualifying, but it seems that the Austrian club are finally ready to cash in on their investment, with his young age meaning his market value remains relatively high.

The last time Dundee United spent in excess of £400,000 came back in 2020, when they acquired Jeando Fuchs for £410,000, illustrating just how highly they rate him internally, especially for a player with limited first team experience.

Had Austria Vienna accepted the second offer of around £400,000 it would have put the youngster alongside Craig Brewster as the club's 12th most expensive signing ever, and the most expensive in five years.

If the Scottish side are to get their man, they will almost certainly need to pay a fee that makes the 21-year-old one of their 10 most expensive signings of all time, and with the club’s US based ownership directly involved in the move, those in power will be left with a big decision to make.

The player is currently in Vienna to negotiate a contract should an acceptable bid be sent to the Austrian capital, allowing all the necessary paperwork to be completed before the Scottish transfer deadline, which comes on Thursday.