Leeds United will not be losing Robin Koch for nothing as he closes in on a loan move to Eintracht Frankfurt.
That is according to Phil Hay, who was speaking on the latest episode of The Square Ball Podcast, where he claimed Frankfurt would be paying a loan fee to acquire the services of Koch this summer.
The 26-year-old is set to undergo a medical at the Bundesliga side in the coming days after turning down approaches from Bayer Leverkusen and Napoli.
Koch is out of contract at Elland Road in 12 months’ time meaning once his temporary deal at Frankfurt comes to an end, he will be free to leave Leeds without anyone having to pay a transfer fee.
However, Leeds have clearly acknowledged that and as such, have demanded a loan fee is paid this summer to ensure they do not lose him for absolutely nothing.
Leeds to get loan fee from Frankfurt for Koch
Koch is among several players to have a loan clause in their contract that became active after Leeds’ relegation, putting the club in a very difficult position to get what they want.
That said, Leeds have done their best to ensure they do not make a complete loss on him, with Hay claiming Frankfurt would be paying a loan fee this summer.
He said: “The idea is with Koch that there might well be a loan fee from Eintracht [Frankfurt] and he has a year left to go so it makes you vulnerable to offers and harder to stand your ground to demand what you want.”
That is at least some sort of consolation for Leeds, with them now at least having some sort of funds this summer they can reinvest.
Not only that, but Koch is likely to be among Leeds’ highest earners and getting his wages off the books will also free up space in the transfer market.
It is a far from ideal situation, but it feels like Leeds have done the best they could.
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