Alternatives to Noah Atubolu: Eintracht Frankfurt are apparently eyeing top clubs
Michael Zetterer's move is reportedly imminent. Does that mean the way is finally clear for Noah Atubolu to join Eintracht Frankfurt? SGE also appear to be looking at alternatives.
Eintracht Frankfurt's goalkeeping merry-go-round is gathering pace again in the days before the Bundesliga starts. That much became clear after the 7-0 hammering in the friendly against Brentford, when coach Adi Hütter made it clear internally that he wanted to start the season with neither Kaua Santos nor Michael Zetterer as number one. That pushed Noah Atubolu of SC Freiburg onto SGE's radar as their preferred candidate.
Despite what his agent recently claimed, Zetterer is now at least on the verge of a move to Leeds United. That is according to kicker. The report says a visit by Zetterer to Leeds at the weekend prompted a rethink. The 31-year-old can now imagine a move to the Premier League as deputy to James Trafford. A transfer fee of five million euros is being targeted. Frankfurt paid exactly that amount to Werder Bremen for Zetterer only last summer.
So does Zetterer's departure clear the way for Atubolu to move to the Hessian metropolis? Not quite. The 24-year-old is still said to be Eintracht's preferred option for the regular starting spot in goal this season, but negotiations with SC Freiburg could prove complicated.
Transfer of Noah Atubolu? Eintracht Frankfurt are looking at Europe's top clubs
According to kicker, Eintracht are considered extremely unlikely to meet, or even want to meet, the minimum 15 million euros demanded for Atubolu. Most recently, a special transfer model was put into play in which Atubolu would first extend his contract in Freiburg, then move to SGE on loan, who in turn would accept an obligation to buy.
With the situation so complicated, the focus of Eintracht's decision-makers around Markus Krösche is now shifting towards cheaper alternatives on the benches of international top clubs. According to the report, SSC Napoli and unnamed clubs in London are particularly in focus.
At Napoli, Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, who was signed only last season for a large fee, has apparently at least for now lost the battle with Alex Meret for the regular place between the posts. At the start of the season, it was at least the 29-year-old Meret who was in goal against Genoa. At Arsenal, Kepa Arrizabalaga is only number two behind David Raya despite once being the world's most expensive goalkeeper. At Chelsea, Robert Sanchez is number one and Mike Penders is number two. At Tottenham, the 37-year-old veteran Martin Dubravka occupies the backup position behind Antonin Kinsky.
Frankfurt may also still have to look for a number two, because a season on the bench for the still only 23-year-old Kaua Santos would be a lost year. "If another door were to open somewhere for the Brazilian, it could lead to a major goalkeeping reshuffle," writes kicker.
Another option in that regard could be Florian Kastenmeier, who is still currently without a club. The former Fortuna Düsseldorf captain has already had numerous offers, but turned them all down, from Werder Bremen, Hertha BSC and Hannover 96, for example. It is questionable whether the 29-year-old would see a reserve role as more attractive than a starting position in Berlin. Instead, Kastenmeier is said to be keen on a move abroad, but according to reports there is currently very little movement there.
