Leeds United player exit 'expected' as plans in motion for 2024-25 season

Eintracht Frankfurt are planning to keep Leeds United player Robin Koch at the club beyond his season-long loan spell, according to reports in Germany.

The 26-year-old spent three seasons at Elland Road but departed on loan in the summer with just 12 months remaining on his deal with the Whites. Leeds received a loan fee - reportedly to the tune of £430,000 - for the player from the 2021-22 Europa League winners, with the German club also agreeing to pay his full salary.

Koch made 77 appearances for the Whites during his three years in England, after joining the club following their promotion from the Championship under Marcelo Bielsa. Now German outlet BILD reports Frankfurt have included Koch in their plans for the 2024-25 campaign, with an 'internal assumption' the defender will sign a permanent deal at the club.

He is free to begin pre-contract talks with European clubs in January if he opts against signing a new deal with Leeds. And with the player enjoying an impressive loan spell in Germany, Frankfurt are in a strong position to keep him permanently.

BILD add that Koch was set for a return to the German national squad after impressing new head coach Julian Nagelsmann but a calf injury has prevented him from being selected. Euro 2024 will be staged in Germany, with Koch given more time to impress before the tournament kicks off in his home nation. He has made 17 appearances in all competitions for Frankfurt this term, scoring two goals and providing two assists.

His most recent outing was in a 3-0 victory at Union Berlin, the loan club of Leeds midfielder Brenden Aaronson, who was speaking about his Elland Road future earlier this week. The American joined Leeds from RB Salzburg last summer but left on loan following the club's relegation.

Asked about his Leeds future by the Athletic, he said: “It’s not done and dusted or anything like that. I love the club. I love the guys that I was there with, the connections I made. It was just tough the way it ended. I felt like this was the best decision that I could make — playing in the Bundesliga and playing in the Champions League — to help my career and get me better. So that’s why I made the decision.”