Hoffenheim chief provides Anton Stach transfer update after £17m Leeds United deal agreed in principle
Leeds United look to be closing in on a £17m summer transfer for Hoffenheim midfielder Anton Stach.
Anton Stach missed Hoffenheim’s pre-season friendly on Saturday with sporting director Andreas Schicker admitting only small details need to be finalised on a move to Leeds United.
Stach looks set to become Leeds’ sixth summer arrival following the agreement in principle of a €20million deal with Bundesliga outfit Hoffenheim, and the 26-year-old could join up with his new teammates in Germany next week. The YEP initially reported on interest in the ball-winning midfielder earlier this month and there has been hope since a deal could get done.
News of the agreement in principle came just a few hours before Leeds kicked off their pre-season campaign with an encouraging 0-0 draw against Manchester United at the Strawberry Arena in Stockholm. That game saw all five new signings so far get their first minutes under Daniel Farke including Sean Longstaff, whose move was only confirmed on the Friday evening.
In the same afternoon as Leeds and Man Utd went toe-to-toe in the Swedish capital, Hoffenheim beat German second-tier outfit SV Elversberg 5-2. But after being named on the bench for last week’s friendly, Elland Road-bound Stach was left out of the squad entirely, a suggestion he is close to leaving the Bundesliga side.
"It's clearly moving toward a transfer,” Schicker told German outlet Kicker of Stach’s impending move to Elland Road. “Only the details still need to be clarified. We're keeping an eye on the transfer market to find a new player. It was a good test for the state of our preparation. We had some really good phases where we could see where we were headed. But also some that showed what we still need to work on.”
What’s the latest on Anton Stach’s move to Leeds United?
Stach will further bolster a midfield unit that is looking strong under Farke, with Longstaff, Ethan Ampadu, Ao Tanaka and Ilia Gruev all impressing during Saturday’s goalless draw in Stockholm. The Leeds boss will soon have five first-team options to pick from, all of which offer slightly different profiles.
All being well, Stach will be expected to join up with the Leeds squad in Germany next week where they will play a pair of behind-closed-doors friendlies before returning home to face Villarreal next month. Once his arrival is official, recruitment chiefs can then turn focus to getting a first-choice goalkeeper and more attacking players through the door.
Leeds remain interested in Feyenoord winger Igor Paixão after meeting with his representatives this week, but as things stand look set to miss out as Marseille close in on a £30m agreement. The Whites also retain an interest in Fulham striker Rodrigo Muniz after seeing a £32m bid rejected earlier this summer.
Farke is also expected to welcome a first-choice goalkeeper into his squad with some interest in previous first-choice Illan Meslier surfacing. Leeds have been linked with a number of possible options including Lyon’s Brazilian international shot-stopper Lucas Perri.