Record income for second division teams
©IMAGO
This article was first published on June 1, 2026 and was updated on Wednesday.
Borussia Mönchengladbach continues to set the pace on the transfer market. The Foals have already presented four new additions for goal, defense and midfield. A striker wasn’t there yet. But that will probably change soon. According to “Sky”, the twelfth place in the Bundesliga has also progressed with his club Darmstadt 98 after reaching a personal agreement with Isac Lidberg.
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The clubs had agreed on a transfer fee of 3.5 million plus half a million in possible bonus payments, as the TV station reported on Wednesday. The magazine “Kicker” later confirmed this information. Darmstadt is also said to have secured a share in the resale. The contract will be valid until 2030, the medical check is pending.
Lidberg attracted attention last season with 17 goals in 30 second division games. The 27-year-old thus took second place in the top scorers list. His market value has climbed to a personal high of 5 million euros over the past few months. This sum was also the second division club’s original transfer fee idea. Fellow striker Fraser Hornby also recently left the club for €4 million. In Lilien’s history, only one exit has been more expensive.
Lidberg moved from FC Utrecht to Böllenfalltor in 2024 for one million euros. Since then he has played 64 competitive games in which he has scored 43 times. If there is a farewell, Darmstadt will lose its second top striker after Hornby. The 26-year-old, who scored 13 times in 2025/26, is joining VfL Wolfsburg. If Lidberg were to receive another 4 million euros, as was the case for Hornby, the Lilies would earn more than ever in their club history in one season.
There is a need for the position at Gladbach as he will be returning to TSG Hoffenheim after his loan. In the absence of the long-injured Tim Kleindienst, the 31-year-old was the Foals’ top scorer with 15 goals.