With purchase option
© Imago
The 1. FC Köln has strengthened its defensive and hired Cenk Özkacar from FC Valencia. The 24-year-old central defender comes to the Bundesliga promoter until the end of the season, who has reportedly secured a purchase option of 2 million euros.
Left foot Özkacar was initially loan in 2022 and a year later switched from Olympique Lyon to Valencia for 5 million euros, where he comes to 46 missions (two templates). However, the nine -time Turkish international spent the past season loaned at Real Valladolid – only twelve games over 846 minutes are also available as a result of a muscle injury at the beginning of the season. Özkacar was only set in the season finale.
The Cologne team have worked intensively in recent weeks to fill the position in central defense alongside captain Timo Hübers (29). Among other things, Rav van den Berg (21) from FC Middlesbrough and Ahmetcan Kaplan (22) from Ajax were traded. The club already agreed with the latter, but the Dutch is said to have called for a transfer of 6 million euros for the Turk, which has a market value of 5 million euros.
Özkacar is the ninth newcomer for the Cologne residents, who have so far invested a total of 14.2 million euros in income of 12.4 million. With Kristoffer Lund (23, Palermo), Tom Krauss (24, Mainz) and Jakub Kaminski (23, Wolfsburg), three more players came on loan. Özkacar probably competes with Joël Schmied (26) around Hübers, since Julian Pauli (20) is still missing with an ankle injury.