Leeds United’s Sebastiaan Bornauw Linked with Loan Move to Köln

According to Sport Bild, Leeds United center-back Sebastiaan Bornauw is potentially set to return to his former club, Köln, on loan. The Belgian international, who joined the Premier League side from Wolfsburg last summer, has managed only two minutes of playing time as a substitute since his arrival. Before moving to England, Bornauw spent six seasons in the Bundesliga, playing for both Wolfsburg and Köln.

Köln’s defensive lineup has been severely impacted by injuries to center-backs Luca Kilian, Joël Schmied, Timo Hübers, and Dominique Heintz. Additionally, summer signing Rav van den Berg has struggled with fitness issues. Although van den Berg has recently returned, he was issued a straight red card in a recent league match against Union Berlin and will be unavailable for the first two fixtures of the upcoming calendar year.

Head coach Lukas Kwasniok has expressed doubts about other central defensive options, including Cenk Özkacar and Jusuf Gazibegovic. After disappointing performances, Gazibegovic has been loaned back to his former club, Sturm Graz.

Kwasniok is in urgent need of reinforcements ahead of his team’s Bundesliga fixtures resuming on January 10th.

Bornauw had a promising debut season in Köln, scoring six league goals during the 2019/20 campaign. However, his second season was notably disappointing, with only one assist in 23 league appearances. A remarkable turnaround occurred on the final matchday, when Bornauw scored a crucial game-winning goal against relegated FC Schalke 04, helping Köln avoid direct relegation in dramatic fashion. This vital 86th-minute goal enabled Köln to ascend to the relegation playoff, where they ultimately triumphed over Holstein Kiel to retain their league status.

In the summer of 2021, Bornauw transferred to Wolfsburg for a fee of €14.1 million. After spending four seasons with the club, he was sold to Leeds for €6 million six months ago. Currently, the 26-year-old’s market value stands at €5 million, with his contract at Leeds extending until 2029.