Hoffenheim leaves the door open for a Leo Østigård return | OneFootball

Kicker reports that Hoffenheim have left the door open for a permanent return for defender Leo Østigård.

The Norwegian spent the second half of last season on loan at Hoffenheim, and the Bundesliga side was able to negotiate the buy option down for the defender with parent club Rennes from €10m to €7m.

The original plan was that only one of Øsitgaard or new signing Koki Machida would join the club this summer, and since the arrival of the Japanese defender from Union Saint-Gilloise, it looked unlikely it would be the 27-year-old, but the door is now open.

On top of this, Hoffenheim are looking to offload Stanley Nsoki, Attila Szalai, Robert Hranac and Arthur Chaves this summer. However, only Chaves is likely to attract any teams, and Hoffenheim will sell the 24-year-old if the right offer arrives.

After finishing 15th in the Bundesliga last season, Hoffenheim have been busy with the signings of Bernardo from Bochum and 1.FC Köln’s Tim Lemperle on free transfers as well as midfielder Leon Avdullahu from Basel.

GGFN | Jack Meenan