Does Soumahoro have to stay?
©IMAGO
Hamburger SV and Borussia Dortmund were working on a transfer of BVB talent Almugera Kabar to HSV – several sources reported a loan with an option to buy. According to the “Hamburger Abendblatt”, the 19-year-old left-back will not be moving to the Rothosen. Accordingly, the Hamburg team canceled the German U20 international, who was watching the 2-2 draw against FC Bayern at the Volksparkstadion, due to a knee injury.
The medical check revealed that Kabar, who played ten times in the Regionalliga West this season and made it into Niko Kovac’s professional squad four times, would probably not be fit enough to play in the Bundesliga until mid-March – too long a downtime for a loan.
Kabar increased his market value to 3 million euros this season, making him one of the six most valuable German teenage defenders. The Bremen native played five games for BVB in the 2024/25 season – he celebrated his greatest successes in the youth sector in 2023 with the German U17 and winning the European Championships and World Cup.
According to the “Abendblatt”, the rejection of left-back Kabar could have consequences for Aboubaka Soumahoro, who was about to go on loan to the French second division club AS Saint-Étienne. The 20-year-old French central defender came from Paris FC in February 2025 for a fee of €2 million and can also play as a left-back. At HSV he only played 157 minutes in five games this season and, alongside reservist Noah Katterbach, who played no role at all with the professionals in 2025/26, is the only replacement for Miro Muheim on the left side of defense.
So far, HSV has strengthened its squad this winter with goalkeeper Sander Tangvik (Rosenborg), attacking midfielder Albert Grønbaek (Rennes) and center forward Damion Downs (Southampton).
