Leeds United could be set to lose one of their senior players on a permanent basis next summer, with a fresh report revealing that his loan club are already working to prise him away from the Championship.
Who have Leeds signed recently?
Over the summer, Daniel Farke was busy in the market having secured the services of nine fresh faces, with Joel Piroe, Glen Kamara, Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev joining on a permanent basis, whilst the likes of Djed Spence and Joe Rodon put pen to paper on loan.
In terms of outgoings, Tyler Adams, Rodrigo and Tyler Roberts were the three first-team players to leave for good, alongside stars like Jack Harrison, Luis Sinisterra and Brenden Aaronson who were sent on the road temporarily, but they weren’t the only ones to depart.
Robin Koch also completed a switch away from the second tier to link up with Eintracht Frankfurt until the end of the season, with the 49ers likely wanting to get the centre-back off their wage books following relegation.
However, Germany’s international’s contract is set to expire upon the conclusion of the current term which doesn’t give chiefs much time to cash in should they not want to risk losing him for free, but if the following update is to be believed, he’s already got a potential suitor waiting.
Is Robin Koch leaving Leeds?
According to German outlet SportBILD (via Sport Witness), Eintracht Frankfurt buying Koch on a permanent deal next summer is something that is “already being considered” by the club in the Bundesliga.
Dino Toppmoller’s side see “internal transfer profit potential” of €230m (£199m) in their squad and view the defender as part of that. Sporting director Markus Krosche has already heaped public praise on his summer signing and he is therefore “quickly becoming convinced” that he wants to keep him in the building for good.
How much did Leeds buy Robin Koch for?
Back in 2020, Leeds paid a reported £11.3m to sign Koch from SC Freiburg and it’s fair to say that he’s more than been worth that during his 77 senior appearances at the club, so it’s important that the board do everything they can to retain his services by offering him a new deal next year.
The Yorkshire outfit’s 27-year-old is excelling at the Deutsche Bank Park where he’s so far won all five of his tackles made since the start of the season, alongside averaging five clearances per league game, with his similarly commanding performances having previously seen him dubbed a “real leader” by journalist Josh Bunting.
Furthermore, Farke’s £38k-per-week earner is a versatile operator having been deployed in five various positions over the pitch since the start of his career, including everywhere across the backline and even two roles higher up in the midfield.
Should Frankfurt table a respectable permanent offer for Koch in 2024, it will understandably be hard for the hierarchy to turn down because they could use the funds to put towards new signings in the future, but ideally, they need to re-introduce him back into the squad.
