Borussia Dortmund also apparently played a role: Noah Atubolu allegedly unhappy with his own advisers because of transfer dilemma
Noah Atubolu, who wants to leave, still have not found a new club. And that is apparently leading to tensions with his agency.
As kicker reports, the German goalkeeper, who is still under contract at SC Freiburg, has been "long dissatisfied" with Epic Sports' approach. The advisory agency of the widely known and eccentric Ali Barat is said to have "also excited the 24-year-old with three attractive if-then scenarios and kept him interested".
Those advisers are said to have suggested to Atubolu that he could become a leading transfer target for Borussia Dortmund, AC Milan and Aston Villa if each club's established number one were to leave.
At BVB, that means Gregor Kobel. There were certainly concrete rumours over the Swiss goalkeeper leaving last summer, but they cooled completely before and during the 2025/26 season. kicker nevertheless adds that Atubolu was in fact "highly rated" in Dortmund in the event of a sudden Kobel departure.
Noah Atubolu in a transfer dilemma: at SC Freiburg, the stands threaten him
That scenario will not happen, though, and first-choice goalkeepers Emiliano Martinez and Mike Maignan are also staying at Aston Villa and Milan, so the options put forward by the advisers were never really genuine.
Where does that leave Atubolu now? In Breisgau, the German keeper, who under new Germany head coach Jürgen Klopp is hoping for his chance in the senior national team, no longer has a future. After Atubolu told club officials he wanted to leave at the end of last season and rejected a contract extension, Freiburg moved straight away to sign Mio Backhaus from Werder Bremen as an expensive replacement. With a transfer fee of 12 million euros, Backhaus is even the most expensive new signing in the club's history.
Atubolu transfer: four clubs allegedly still in the race
Atubolu's contract at SC Freiburg runs until 2027, and according to kicker the Bundesliga club want 15 to 20 million euros if concrete interest arrives. That is now said to have come from Olympique Marseille after Geronimo Rulli's departure to Manchester City. However, the traditional French club are said to have been rebuffed at first with an offer that was far too low. A second bid is said to follow promptly.
Elsewhere, Atubolu is also being linked with AFC Bournemotuh from the Premier League, SSC Napoli and Juventus Turin. According to kicker, however, the three clubs have not yet come forward in Breisgau with a concrete offer.
Atubolu has now also returned to Freiburg's team training after a long spell of individual sessions. League action starts next weekend in England, Italy and France. The pressure on Atubolu and his advisers is therefore continuing to grow.
