According to consistent media reports, Salih Özcan is about to move from 1. FC Köln to BVB. Effzeh sports director Christian Keller has now commented on the personnel and indicated a farewell to the midfielder.
“We stretched out as much as possible with Salih for a contract extension. I told him that we all wanted him to stay. He knows what he has at FC,” said the 43-year-old in an interview with “goat blog” open minded.
Özcan’s contract on the Rhine only runs until June 2023. This summer, the club is therefore faced with a fundamental decision. If Özcan does not extend, the Cologne team could only generate a high transfer fee in the coming transfer window.
In his remarks, Keller indicated that there were prominent interested parties. “He is a young, ambitious player. In the end it will not primarily be a question of money for him, but a sporting one,” said the official.
Consistent media reports circulated on Thursday that the midfielder’s move to BVB had already been decided. According to “Bild”, Özcan has even completed the medical check with the Westphalians. The transfer fee for the U21 European champion should be in the range of between eight and ten million euros.
In Marco Rose’s team, the midfielder could replace Axel Witsel in the future, who is leaving the Revierklub after four years.
Keller: 1. FC Köln dependent on transfer proceeds
Meanwhile, Keller made it clear that, despite a sportingly extremely successful season, there was no alternative for the Rhinelanders to give up players this summer.
“What we have to achieve in order to be able to break even next year is transfer income. I don’t want to specify the number, but we’re talking about a significant sum,” explained the former Regensburger.
The Cologne team qualified for the Europa Conference League by finishing seventh in the Bundesliga. Nevertheless, Keller, who took up his post on April 1, sees the club facing difficulties after two years of the pandemic.
The aim is to “reduce personnel expenses by 20 percent.” The head of sports also wants to initiate restructuring away from the pitch.
“For me, restructuring means first of all that every employee is assigned clear tasks and that all employees can make the best possible contribution based on their qualities. I see room for improvement at the moment,” he emphasized.