SK Rapid has secured the future of its star playmaker by extending Yusuf Demir’s contract through the summer of 2031, club officials announced at the annual general meeting.
The 23-year-old returned to Vienna in February 2026, and business manager Sport Markus Katzer moved to reward the midfielder’s return to form with a long-term agreement designed to ward off growing interest from multiple scouts.
The 23-year-old midfielder, who returned to Vienna from Galatasaray in February 2026, has recorded 15 direct goal involvements across 19 appearances this season in the Austrian Bundesliga, ÖFB Cup, and UEFA Conference League qualifying, according to SK Rapid. The Opta database records 28 shots and 493 passes with an 85 percent accuracy rate for the midfielder.
Demir joined the youth ranks of SK Rapid at age ten from First Vienna FC and previously spent time moving through various youth teams at the club. He made his professional debut on December 14, 2019, at 16 years, six months, and 12 days old, becoming the youngest player to appear for Rapid in a match of the Bundesliga founded in 1974.
His early professional promise led to stints abroad with FC Barcelona, FC Basel, and Galatasaray before his return to Austria. The older brother of right-back Furkan Demir can look back on a six-month stint at FC Barcelona, a season at FC Basel, and a total of 26 competitive matches for Galatasaray Istanbul. Across his career in Hütteldorf, Demir has amassed 84 competitive appearances and 14 goals for Rapid.
“Wir haben immer daran geglaubt, dass Yusuf Demir wieder ein enorm wichtiger Teil unserer Mannschaft werden kann,” said Markus Katzer, Business Manager Sport at Rapid, noting that the player’s strong performances earned him a recall to the ÖFB national team squad.
“Ich bin sicher, dass ‘Yusi’ seine starke Form nicht nur halten kann, sondern er sich aufgrund seines Ehrgeizes sogar noch weiter verbessern wird,” Katzer added.
“Ich freue mich sehr, dass wir schon so zeitgerecht eine gemeinsame Lösung für eine langfristige Zusammenarbeit gefunden haben,” said Yusuf Demir regarding the new agreement.
Rapid enters the international break at the top of the Bundesliga table with 11 wins from 12 rounds, following a 6–0 victory over WAC, DiePresse.com reported. Rapid has not played this successfully since the 1950/51 season, prompting statisticians to examine past paths toward the championship title last won in 2008. Demir has contributed five goals and six assists in 12 league matches this term.
Following an injury to Carney Chukwuemeka during a Borussia Dortmund fixture, Demir received a call-up from national team boss Ralf Rangnick and was scheduled to join the ÖFB training camp on Monday ahead of upcoming fixtures against Ireland and Israel.
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