What will become of Kolo Muani?
Eintracht draws PSG into 100 million euro poker with relish
08/21/2023, 11:20 am
Dino Toppmöller celebrates a successful Bundesliga premiere against Darmstadt 98. But at Eintracht Frankfurt everything revolves around the impending departure of top striker Randal Kolo Muani. But Eintracht emphasizes: “Our basic intention is not to sell him.”
Dino Toppmöller was only able to enjoy his emotional first victory in the Hessen derby for a short time before the threat from Paris caught up with him again. “I would prefer to say that he stays here longer,” said the Eintracht Frankfurt coach, gnashing his teeth, about his top star Randal Kolo Muani: “But I can’t answer how long he’s going to be there. The first offer is there – now let’s wait and see.”
A farewell for the top scorer on the home stretch of the transfer window is getting closer and closer. The first official offer from PSG is said to be between 65 and 70 million – still far too little for Eintracht. They actually expect a sum in the three-digit million range. “A letter came for Kolo Muani”, confirmed sports director Markus Krösche and put on his best poker face. Contents? “I do not know anymore!”
“Basic intention is not to sell him”
According to Sport1, the French champions are said to have improved for the first time during the 1-0 (0-0) against Darmstadt. Nevertheless, it seems unclear whether Sunday’s golden goal was actually Kolo Muani’s (40th) farewell goal. Krösche just shrugged his shoulders at this question, but made it clear: “Kolo is coming to training on Monday”. He is currently also expecting the Frenchman to play on Thursday (7 p.m./RTL+ and in the live ticker at ntv.de) in the Conference League at Levski Sofia.
“Our basic intention is not to sell him,” emphasized the 42-year-old: “At the moment I’m only dealing with Plan A.” That would be a stay. But you will “see how it develops in the next few days”. The meticulous Krösche in the background would certainly not be completely unprepared for an exit.
PSG do not lack the wherewithal
The team, which was still agitated at the start, is not disturbed by the topic. It was “a situation that we were able to adapt to after last season,” said goalkeeper Kevin Trapp. A possible transfer in this price range just needs “time”. PSG shouldn’t be short of change after Neymar’s departure to Saudi Arabia, with the player’s side having been in agreement for a few weeks.
“If he goes away, it would be very painful for us,” said Makoto Hasebe, Frankfurt’s oldest Bundesliga player since Sunday at 39 years and 214 days. The team needs “more goal scorers, not just one striker”. Kolo Muani scored 15 goals in his debut season, no other current squad player has scored more than seven goals in the past season. Toppmöller has not yet given up hope for his offensive star. “Kolo is here at the moment,” said the coach, “and we’re really happy that he’s here and we hope that he’ll stay a little longer and score a goal or two for us.”