Borussia Mönchengladbach Eyes Ko Itakura for Summer Return

According to Bild, Borussia Mönchengladbach is set to make a move to re-sign Ko Itakura this summer.

After joining Ajax for €10.5 million last summer, the 29-year-old defender has faced difficulties in the Dutch capital. Rouven Schröder, who previously brought Itakura to Schalke, attempted to facilitate a return during the winter transfer window, but the high fee posed a significant barrier.

Despite the unsuccessful winter pursuit, Gladbach remains optimistic about Itakura’s return this summer, indicating that negotiations are still active.

The winter transfer window was Schröder’s inaugural one as sporting director and turned out to be quite eventful. The club successfully secured loans for Kota Takai from Tottenham and Alejo Sarco from Bayer Leverkusen, along with Hugo Bolin, who joined on a loan with an option to buy.

In addition to these deals, Gladbach was presented with the opportunity to sign Sheraldo Becker. However, Schröder opted against this move to prevent competition with Franck Honorat. Similarly, Edin Dzeko was on the radar but chose to join Schalke instead, as he preferred not to compete with Haris Tabakovic for a starting role.