Ex-£12m Leeds United man suffers blow amid international rise with 'final decision' on future now due
A blow has been dealt to a former £12m Leeds United player.
Ex-Leeds United defender Robin Koch has suffered disappointment despite a recent rise on the international stage following an impressive campaign.
German centre-back Koch joined Leeds from SC Freiburg for a reported £12m in the summer of 2020 but left the club following relegation to join Eintracht Frankfurt, initially on loan. It was then announced in January of last year that the move would be made permanent in the summer and Koch signed a three-year deal.
The defender enjoyed a fine 2024-25 campaign with Eintracht Frankfurt, playing the full duration of 27 league games as the side recorded a third-placed finish in the Bundesliga table.
For Koch, attention then turned to international duty and the defender was handed just an eighth start for Germany and his biggest one yet in Wednesday evening’s Nations League semi-final against Portugal.
Bayern Leverkusen’s Liverpool-transfer target Florian Wirtz fired Germany ahead in the 48th minute but Francisco Conceição equalised three minutes after the hour mark.
Cristiano Ronaldo then bagged what proved a 68th-minute winner as Portugal sealed a 2-1 success.
Koch played the full 90 minutes of the contest and attention now turns to his future.
The 28-year-old is reportedly wanted by Bayer Leverkusen who are prepared to trigger his release clause of €18–20 million.
RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund are also said to be interested in the 28-year-old defender whom Eintracht Frankfurt are keen to keep.
Taking to social media platform X, Sky Sports journalist Florian Plettenberg wrote: “The final decision from Robin Koch is expected on Thursday.