Eintracht Frankfurt interested in Antwerp midfielder Mahamadou Doumbia | OneFootball

Belgian’s Het Nieuwsblad reports that Eintracht Frankfurt are interested in acquiring Royal Antwerp midfielder Mahamadou Doumbia. The Bundesliga outfit has already lured two players away from the Belgian Pro League side in recent years. Doumbia – a 21-year-old twice-capped Malian international – maintains an estimated market value of €9m.

Frankfurt’s previous two recent recruits from Antwerp have provided mixed results. Ecuadorian central defender Willian Pacho proved an immense success. Eintracht paid Antwerp €13.65m to acquire Pacho in the summer of 2023. Pacho featured in all but one of Frankfurt’s 34 league fixtures during the 2023/24 campaign. One year after purchasing him, the German club sold him to PSG for €40m.

Fullback/winger Aurelio Buta also joined Frankfurt on a free transfer ahead of the 2022/23 season. Though Buta’s experience in the German top flight (four goals in 44 Bundesliga appearances) hardly constitutes a failure, the RheinMain club has been looking to offload the former Portuguese youth international this summer.

Doumbia has scored a total of 13 goals in 83 competitive appearances for Antwerp over the past three seasons. Accordingly, the Flemish Reds may seek a transfer fee high above the player’s current valuation. The Flemish daily quotes a July interview with Antwerp administrator Marc Overmars as one reason the club may not be willing to sell.

Overmars specifically referenced Pacho’s case in his remarks.

“I would like to keep Doumbia for another year,” Overmars said at the time. “It’s a comparable situation to the Pacho story. Pacho would have been even more valuable if he had stayed for another year, although you can never be sure. I predict that Doumbia will explode next season.”

GGFN | Peter Weis