4 hours ago 5

Wolfsburg drop interest in Zakaria El Ouahdi, target Andrei Rațiu instead

The Wolfsburger Allgemeine Zeitung reports that VfL Wolfsburg have withdrawn their interest in Moroccan right back Zakaria El Ouahdi. The Bundesliga outfit’s €9m bid for the 23-year-old was rejected by KRC Genk. A €12m transfer fee demanded by the Belgian Pro League club led the German Wolves to break off negotiations. Wolfsburg were reported to have agreed to terms with El Ouahdi on a four-year-contract.

Spain’s Marca now claims that Germany’s green company team have shifted their focus to Romanian international Andrei Rațiu of Rayo Vallecano. The La Liga professional himself maintains an estimated €12m market value and is reported to only be available via a release clause in his current contract worth €25m. One thus assumes that Wolfsburg seek to negotiate a loan.

Germany’s northern Autostädter are already reported to be in the midst of negotiating a loan deal for Danish attacker Jesper Lindstrøm. Such deals reflect the fact that – even though Wolfsburg obviously retain plenty of private financial backing – die Wölfe are seeking to tamper down summer outlays a bit after completing over €50m in summer signings.