Bayer Leverkusen have joined the race to sign Leeds United defender Robin Koch this summer.
That is according to journalist Florian Plettenberg, who reports Leverkusen have a ‘concrete interest’ in him to replace Jonathan Tah, but an unnamed Premier League club is currently fronting the queue.
Plettenberg also insists Koch will be allowed to leave Leeds for free in the coming weeks, despite reports from England indicating this is not the case after the Whites paid £13 million to sign him from Freiburg three years ago.
Koch is the second Leeds player to have been linked with a move to Xabi Alonso’s side during the window, with Colombian winger Luis Sinisterra also said to be of interest.
Leverkusen will face intense competition to win the race for Koch’s signature, as Eintracht Frankfurt also view him as a ‘potential candidate’ to come in at centre back.
Leverkusen enter race for Leeds’ Koch
As mentioned previously, an unnamed Premier League club are currently ahead of the likes of Leverkusen in the race for Koch.
Manchester United are among the teams reportedly keen on the 26-year-old, as they view him as a cheap alternative to first choice targets Kim Min-Jae and Axel Diasi.
Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest and West Ham have also been linked, and given Man United have other priorities, it seems likely it will be one of that quintet currently pushing harder for a deal.
Koch is determined to force his way back into the Germany setup in the coming months and with that in mind, he will be looking for a club that can offer him regular football.
He has just 12 months left to run on his deal at Elland Road and will be one of several big-name exits at Leeds this summer.
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