Leeds United are not showing any signs of slowing down in the transfer market this summer.
With Rodrigo Moreno on the verge of joining from Valencia for a reported club-record £27 million, newly-promoted Leeds are also closing in on acquiring a key defensive target.
According to The Athletic’s Phil Hay, Leeds are close to completing a £13m deal for Freiburg defender Robin Koch.
As per Hay, Leeds turned their attention to Koch after having grown frustrated in their attempts to land Brighton & Hove Albion’s Ben White, who is expected to stay with the Seagulls despite playing a key role in the West Yorkshire club’s promotion campaign.
Koch has impressed for Freiburg over the last three seasons, with his performances in the Bundesliga earning him his Germany debut last October.
With Koch seemingly Elland Road-bound, here is everything that has been said about his future.
Freiburg’s director of football, Jochen Saier
Amid growing speculation over Koch, Freiburg director of football Saier insisted that the German club are under no pressure to sell their key players even with the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
“We have no pressure to have to sell players,” said Saier, as quoted by Heidelberg24.
“It has to make sense to us. So that we can act again. These are key players for us and we would need adequate replacements.”
In August, however, Saier admitted that there were likely to be some departures from the club this summer as long as Freiburg were able to secure replacements.
"For us, it is also about having the group with which we are going into the season together as soon as possible,” he said via Sport Buzzer.
Freiburg coach Christian Streich
Streich, who has been in charge of Freiburg since 2011, also admitted the possibility of players leaving his club.
Specifically, he name-checked Koch, who has previously attracted interest from Benfica, but said it would be ‘wonderful’ if the 24-year-old remained for the 2020/21 campaign.
“It is possible that players will still leave the club,” said Streich via Badische Zeitung. “If Robin stays, he can play centre-back and as a number six. Then it’s wonderful.
“If not, we definitely need something for the central midfield.”
Back in July, Streich was much more philosophical about Koch’s potential departure, admitting that improving and selling players at a profit is a key tenet of Freiburg’s model.
“I’m not particularly confident about that,” he told Kicker. “But I’m not afraid of it either.
“We are a club that, like many others, relies on transfer proceeds. We train players, they get better, then go. It’s part of our job.”
Victor Orta
Leeds director Orta himself name-checked Koch during an interview with the YEP in which he detailed the scale of the club’s scouting process.
“We have 8,080 reports. In a report about a match you can evaluate six or seven players,” said Orta.
“I’ll give you an example, Koch playing at his level now is really difficult for the Championship, it is another level.
"But we are always evaluating because perhaps, in a moment, he could be available. Or we could get into another league and then he could be available.
“Our goal is information. Quantity and quality. Quantity is important but much more important is quality information.”
Koch on his future
Koch was the subject of an offer from RB Leipzig in January, which was rejected by Freiburg.
Unsurprisingly, his future has been a regular topic during interviews, although the defender always seems admirably laid-back when quizzed on where he will be playing his football in 2020/21.
This week, he explained to Kicker that he was not concerned too much about his future. The way he sees it, he is still a Freiburg player and does not feel compelled to use the media to try and push through a move.
"I’m still here and I’m the type that I let all of this come my way and don’t worry too much about it. That’s why it all fits,” he said.
Kicker also noted that Newcastle United are another Premier League club chasing his signature.
It certainly seems as though Leeds are leading the chase, but Leeds fans will know to temper their excitement until they see the Germany international hoisting the club’s jersey above his head at Elland Road.
