The test match between Bundesliga club Hartberg in the camp in Catez (Slo) against NK Bravo on Wednesday was actually just a minor matter. For the East Styrians, everything revolved around Maximilian Entrup. Will Hartberg sell the current Bundesliga top scorer or not? It took a long time to play poker.
As the day went on, the rumors got hotter and hotter: Germany’s second division club Holstein Kiel had identified attacker Entrup as the “savior” for the “Storks”‘ hoped-for path towards the German Bundesliga. However, the offer – reportedly a seven-figure one – did not meet TSV’s expectations. The poker was on. Not an easy decision for Hartberg: On the one hand, if Entrup left (after Christoph Lang to Rapid), they would have given up their second offensive weapon in the fight for the top six in the Bundesliga. On the other hand, a sale would have generated by far the highest sum in the club’s history and broken the million mark for the first time. So far, Sascha Horvath was Hartberg’s “most expensive” player, having moved to LASK in August 2021 for a rumored 400,000 euros. Horvath will remain the most expensive TSV transfer to date for the time being. After long, tough negotiations between Hartberg, Holstein Kiel and the management of Max Entrup, the “parties” were unable to reach an agreement, meaning the deal with the Germans is off the table. Since the transfer window in the major leagues closes on Thursday at 6 p.m., it can be assumed that Entrup will remain a Hartberger at least until the summer.
source site-12