Sebastiaan Bornauw May Return to Köln on Loan Amid Defensive Challenges

Sport Bild reports that Leeds United centre-back Sebastiaan Bornauw may be heading back to his former club Köln on loan. The Belgian international recently transferred to the Premier League club from Wolfsburg this summer, yet he has only seen two minutes of action as a substitute. Before his move to England, Bornauw spent six seasons in the Bundesliga with Wolfsburg and Köln.

Injuries to centre-backs Luca Kilian, Joël Schmied, Timo Hübers, and Dominique Heintz have left Köln’s defensive ranks severely depleted. New summer signing Rav van den Berg has also been struggling with injuries. Although he recently returned to play, van den Berg received a straight red card in the league’s recent loss against Union Berlin and will be suspended for the first two fixtures of the new calendar year.

Head coach Lukas Kwasniok has expressed concerns regarding other central defensive options, including Cenk Özkacar and Jusuf Gazibegovic. Gazibegovic’s disappointing performances have led to his loan back to his former club, Sturm Graz.

Kwasniok is in urgent need of reinforcements before his team resumes Bundesliga play on January 10th.

Bornauw had a strong debut season in Köln, scoring six league goals during the 2019/20 campaign. However, his second season was notably poor, as he struggled defensively and recorded only one assist in 23 league appearances. Nonetheless, on the final matchday of that season, Bornauw redeemed himself with a crucial game-winning goal against the already relegated FC Schalke 04, helping Köln avoid direct relegation in dramatic fashion. His 86th-minute winner propelled the team to a relegation-playoff position, where they subsequently defeated Holstein Kiel to secure their league status.

Bornauw transitioned to Wolfsburg in a €14.1 million transfer in the summer of 2021. After four seasons with the club, he was sold to Leeds for €6 million six months ago. Currently, the 26-year-old is valued at €5 million, and his contract with Leeds runs until 2029.