Mainz interested in bringing Palace wingback Borna Sosa back to the Bundesliga | OneFootball

Last-placed Bundesliga side FSV Mainz 05 are apparently interested in bringing Crystal Palace wide man Borna Sosa back to the Bundesliga. Germany’s Südwestrundfunk Radio (SWR) claims that Mainz are working to obtain the former Stuttgart man on loan from the south London outfit. Sosa only just joined the Eagles on a €2.3m transfer from Ajax this past summer. 

The 27-year-old signed a three-year-deal with Palace in July, yet has made only three Premier League appearances thus far this year. Despite this, the German broadcaster claims that Sosa’s EPL side isn’t interested in selling him outright. Sosa could earn plenty of playing time with the Rheinhessen as a left wingback. Mainz regulars Anthony Caci and Phillipp Mwene are both struggling with injury. 

Borna Sosa is actually a German citizen

Sosa enjoyed the best years of his career playing for Stuttgart. During his breakout season in Swabia (2020/21), the German FA rushed to get Sosa a German passport in the hopes that he could represent the country at the summer 2021 Euros. Former German national team head coach Joachim Löw led the initiative. Sosa was born in Croatia and only moved to Stuttgart from Dinamo Zagreb in 2015, but has a German mother who was raised in Berlin. 

Ultimately, the DFB wasn’t able to get Sosa’s citizenship in order in time to meet the deadlines stipulated by FIFA regulations. Sosa retained his German passport issued in the spring of 2021, yet still opted to represent Croatia. Sosa enjoyed two more successful seasons playing Bundesliga football in the BaWü capital before moving to Ajax on a €8m transfer in September 2023.

Sosa career has slowed down since leaving Germany

At his peak in June of 2022, Sosa was considered a €23m-valued player. He was already on the decline before moving to Holland to join former Stuttgart personnel chief Sven Mislintat at Ajax. Matters didn’t work out too well for either Sosa or Mislintat in Amsterdam. Sosa played a rather poor Eredivisie season during the 2023/24 campaign and was loaned out to Torino for the 2024/25 season. 

Though Sosa earned regular minutes at both locales, he wasn’t able to get his name on the scoresheet at all. Torino opted not to exercise a purchase option embedded in Sosa’s loan deal. Now that Sosa hasn’t been able to find his feet under German-speaking Austrian head coach Oliver Glasner, conditions are ideal for a loan out. 

GGFN | Peter Weis