With Salih Özcan, 1. FC Köln lost an important player to Borussia Dortmund. Now the Rhinelanders are apparently threatened with the next prominent departure.
As “picture” citing international media, West Ham United, Benfica Lisbon and Olympique Lyon are all interested in Ellyes Skhiri.
The central midfielder is a regular at 1. FC Köln. In the past season, the 27-year-old made 22 appearances on the pitch. Minor injuries and an absence due to illness prevented more deployments.
The Rhinelanders would probably let Skhiri go with an offer between eight and ten million euros, it is said. After all, the Tunisian international only has a contract with 1. FC Köln until 2023. Consequently, the last chance for a higher transfer fee will be available in the summer.
Skhiri toyed with saying goodbye last year, but ultimately stayed in the cathedral city, where he has been earning his money since 2019.
1. FC Köln: Skhiri could inherit Weigl at Benfica
While West Ham and Olympique Lyon are said to have had the clearer on the slip for some time, Skhiri could succeed Julian Weigl at Benfica. The international reportedly wants to leave the Portuguese capital club.
A few months ago, Skhiri revealed to “Bild” about a possible farewell from Cologne: “The situation will definitely be clear in the summer of 2022, because my contract expires in 2023, so before that you either extend or change.” Now there seems to be new impetus in the personnel.
For 1. FC Köln, a change of top performer would be bitter from a sporting point of view, especially since the Rhinelanders lost Salih Özcan to BVB just a few days ago. Skhiri and Özcan guaranteed a place in the European Cup last season.