Eintracht Frankfurt prepared to hijack Ko Itakura’s move to Ajax | OneFootball

Sasha Tavolieri and Florian Plettenberg both report that Eintracht Frankfurt are looking to hijack Ko Itakura’s move to Ajax. Itakura’s current Bundesliga club, Borussia Mönchengladbach, have apparently rejected Ajax’s first offer for the Japanese central defender. Frankfurt still have time to strike.

Germany’s RheinMainAdler recently completed Lucas Silva “Tuta” Melo’s rumored sale to Qatari outfit Doha club Al-Duhail SC. A reported €15m has flowed into Eintracht’s coffers as part of the deal. The SGE must nevertheless now get serious about procuring a replacement for their defensive mainstay.

Tuta made 44 appearances for Eintracht across all competitions last season. Amid the Tuta exit rumors, Frankfurt have long considered Itakura to be the preferred replacement for the Brazilian defensive specialist. Tuta played an immensely important role for the Hessians over the past five seasons.

Gladbach are rumored to want at least €10m for Itakura. Sport Bild previously reported that Ajax’s initial submitted offer totaled only €8m plus bonuses. Itakura’s potential Bundesliga suitors – after the sale of Tuta and striker Hugo Ekitité – are operating with an estimated €87m summer transfer surplus.

GGFN | Peter Weis