Mainz sporting director confirms potential January purchase of USMNT midfielder Lennard Maloney | OneFootball

In an interview with Germany’s Sport Bild tabloid, FSV Mainz 05 sporting director Nico Bungert has confirmed his club’s interest in 1. FC Heidenheim midfielder Lennard Maloney. The twice-capped USMNT international may very well be on the move to the Rheinhessen within the current January transfer window.

Maloney’s desire to depart his current club has been common knowledge for some time with the 25-year-old sitting on an expiring contract. FCH head coach Frank Schmidt has left him out of his match-day squad over the course of the last four league rounds, publicly acknowledging that the player’s desire to leave renders him unfit to play.

Heidenheim themselves have responded to Maloney’s transfer request by signing midfielder Jan Schöppner to a contract extension as a means of committing themselves to a long-term replacement. Rumors that Mainz were preparing to sign Maloney began emerging last week.

Maloney’s expiring deal enables him to negotiate with other clubs this month. Initial reports suggested that Mainz would arrange a free transfer this summer, but Bungert noted that he and his administrative team are striving for a January move.

Maloney maintains a current estimated market worth of €5m in the latest transfermarkt listings. At present, FSV head coach Bo Henriksen possesses little use for Maloney due to the strong performances of his current midfield axis of Nadiem Amiri and Kaishu Sano.

Amiri has nevertheless been linked with a move to the Premier League with Aston Villa said to be interested. It might prove to be the case that Amiri departs for a significant transfer fee with Maloney arriving as an economical replacement.

GGFN | Peter Weis