BVB increases pressure on Eintracht Frankfurt – because of Ansgar Knauff

Bundesliga

The year 2022 was a crazy one for Ansgar Knauff. In a positive sense. The 20-year-old switched to Eintracht Frankfurt on loan a year ago because he wasn’t really getting anywhere at Borussia Dortmund. It was a jump that paid off. For him, but also for the SGE.

Knauff immediately became a regular in the second half of the pre-season and was the counterpart of Filip Kostić, who was still so important at the time. The youngster played his way into the regular formation and the hearts of the fans, convinced all along the line and crowned his debut by winning the Europa League in the final in Seville.

In the current season, Knauff initially had problems finding his place in Eintracht’s starting XI. On the one hand, because the Frankfurters had set up the squad even more broadly, on the other hand because of injury worries. But in late autumn it was once again impossible to overlook how much potential the player had. Which is why it is not surprising that Eintracht would like to make a permanent contract out of the loan. But that won’t be easy.

Since the summer, Knauff has been a bigger topic at his home club Borussia Dortmund. And now BVB is increasing the pressure on the opponent by making it known how to deal with Knauff. As the “Ruhr news” report, the plan should be in place: Those responsible want to bring him back to increase the pressure on Donyell Malen and Karim Adeyemi. In addition, it was made clear to him how to plan with him. And in the short summary he was told: Come back, then you’ll play more than before your change.

Ansgar Knauff: Contract only until 2024

At the same time, Knauff only has one contract until 2024. That means: If he moves back to BVB and then doesn’t play a major role, he’ll be gone a year later on a free transfer. Dortmund cannot want that. The Bundesliga club should therefore endeavor to extend the contract as soon as possible, ideally for better salaries. And this is where Eintracht Frankfurt comes into play again.

Because: Eintracht is said to have also put an offer on the table that not only shows Knauff appreciation, but also offers him a lasting perspective. Should Knauff strike, the question arises as to how many millions Eintracht would have to transfer to Dortmund. “The possible transfer fee varies between eight and 15 million euros, depending on the medium. In the end, as is so often the case, the truth will lie somewhere in the middle,” writes the “Hessen show“.

The Frankfurt team, equipped with a few additional millions from the Champions League and with the prospect of another European Cup qualification in the coming season, could definitely handle this amount.

Only one question remains unanswered: What does Ansgar Knauff actually want? He recently posted a video on Instagram with the hashtag #knauff2023:

To see in the video: Knauff’s formidable year at Eintracht in summary. Posts from Frankfurt fans asking him to stay piled up in the comments. That doesn’t seem impossible. In the end, the question is who offers the best package of salary, playing time guarantee and perspective. The tug of war has finally begun.