Bad news for Noah Atubolu? Eintracht Frankfurt are reportedly considering a spectacular move to bring him back | Goal.com
As Bild newspaper claims to have learned, the 24-year-old at SC Freiburg is not the only name on Eintracht Frankfurt's shortlist. Other goalkeepers are under consideration too, including Lukas Hradecky, who is said to have been on the radar at the Main club for some time.
Hradecky, 36, was under contract with Eintracht from 2015 to 2018 before the fans' favourite moved to Bayer Leverkusen. He then joined AS Monaco in the summer of 2025, where the Finn is said to earn a princely salary and remains under contract until 2027. That makes any reunion far from straightforward.
For now, Atubolu is still said to be the preferred option to solve the problem position in goal. News of the supposed interest in the goalkeeper, who wants to leave, emerged after the disastrous 7-0 friendly defeat against Brentford. Frankfurt are said to be looking for a new No 1 and are therefore making a clear change of course, after sporting director Markus Krösche had still stressed during pre-season that he wanted to stick with the duo of Michael Zetterer and Kaua Santos: "At the moment it is not an issue to change anything about the situation."
According to Bild , Frankfurt can expect difficult negotiations with SCF. The Breisgau club are said to be demanding between €15 million and €20 million. Before that, though, at least one other goalkeeper would have to leave the club, and that is where the next problem lies: according to the report, Zetterer does not want to leave SGE. Santos, who was actually supposed to succeed Kevin Trapp, is therefore seen as the more likely candidate to depart.
Santos has made numerous mistakes since his promotion to No 1 and was supposed to get another chance to prove himself this season. But that credit already seems to have run out again. Against Brentford, the young Brazilian once more looked shaky, which allegedly led the decision-makers and coach Adi Hütter to conclude they should sign a new, experienced option. Whether the 23-year-old, who is also considered injury-prone, has a market at all does not emerge from the report.
The Atubolu fee is also a problem because other areas of the squad still need reinforcements. Gaps are clear in defence and attack. Up front, there is still hope of another loan move for Arnaud Kalimuendo.
Meanwhile, Atubolu is desperately searching for a new club after rejecting a contract offer from SCF months ago and making it clear he wants to leave. He no longer has a future in Freiburg, with the Breisgau club having already signed a new goalkeeper in Mio Backhaus for an internal club-record fee. Atubolu's dream destination remains the Premier League, but a move there has still not materialised. That is also because he is said to have turned down promoted sides Hull City and Coventry City.
According to information from kicker, AFC Bournemouth are at least showing loose interest, but concrete negotiations have yet to take place. The same is said to apply to Olympique Marseille, Napoli and Juventus, who are also allegedly interested. But with league action in England, Italy and France already starting next weekend, time pressure is growing on Atubolu and his advisers.
Atubolu is represented by the agency Epic Sports, which is run by the universally known and bizarre Ali Barat. According to kicker , however, the German goalkeeper has long been "dissatisfied" with the work of his representatives, who are said to have given him false hope.
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