The winter transfer phase is underway and the German clubs are in the middle of it. Clubs can sign new players until February 1, 2024.
The most important things at a glance
Who will FC Bayern bring in to strengthen their defense? Will striker Serhou Guirassy stay at VfB Stuttgart? And who does Union Berlin want to shoot itself out of the basement with? These and many other questions will be answered this transfer winter. At t-online you can find an overview of the most important rumors and changes from Germany and the world.
France star Benzema wants to leave
French soccer star Karim Benzema apparently wants to end his adventure in Saudi Arabia after just six months. The five-time Champions League winner feels unable to perform at his best due to the “pressure” at Al-Ittihad, which is why he has asked to leave the club “temporarily”. This is reported by the AFP news agency, citing a source close to the club.
Accordingly, Al-Ittihad offered the 36-year-old a loan deal within the Saudi league, but Benzema rejected this. It was said that the ex-French international preferred a commitment to Europe. However, there is “no option” for Benzema to leave this month. When asked by AFP, those close to the attacker, who has a contract in Saudi Arabia until 2026, did not want to confirm the information.
After Benzema returned late to Jeddah on Thursday, a day later, according to AFP, a “very lively” and “stormy” meeting took place between the club board, coach Marcel Gallardo and Benzema about the future of the ex-Real Madrid professional. Since his return, the Frenchman has been training individually “for disciplinary reasons”. The league doesn’t start again until mid-February.
Second division keeper probably before moving to the Bundesliga
According to Sky, Kaiserslautern’s goalkeeper Andreas Luthe is about to move to VfL Bochum. Accordingly, the 36-year-old and Bochum have already agreed. However, Lautern still has to find a replacement before Luthe can return to his former club. If Lautern gives the go-ahead, Luthe can probably change.
Luthe went through the youth team of the Ruhrpottklub up to the U19 level and then made the jump to the second team before playing for the professionals from 2009 to 2016. Bochum is in 14th place in the Bundesliga. Lautern in the 2nd league in 15th place.
As a replacement for Boniface: Will Leverkusen bring in a Spain striker?
Victor Boniface is injured. Bayer Leverkusen will be without their top scorer until at least April. With Patrik Schick, the “Werkself” still have a top-class alternative in the squad, but Bayer is still in the championship, the DFB Cup and the Europa League. If the injury-prone Schick also fails, the title fight could become an impossible task.
As Spanish newspaper “ABC de Sevilla” reports, the Bundesliga leaders are interested in Borja Iglesias. The striker is under contract with Betis Sevilla in Spain. The “Bild” confirmed the rumor. Leverkusen only wants to borrow a striker. The problem: Betis probably just wants to sell the attacker. The transfer fee must therefore be ten million euros. Iglesias still has a contract in Seville until 2026.
But: According to the TV channel Sky, Leverkusen has a top-class alternative to Iglesias on the list. Read who that is here.
BVB professional is apparently about to leave
As “Bild” reports, Dortmund professional Giovanni Reyna is said to be about to leave for another club. Accordingly, a change is becoming more and more concrete. The trend is for BVB to sell and earn a double-digit million sum. Reyna herself is said to have already asked the club for a change if there was a suitable opportunity.