According to Sport Bild, after rejecting an early lowball price for goalie Mark Flekken, Brentford has decided not to engage in a bidding battle with Bayer Leverkusen.
Negotiations for the 31-year-old’s return to the Bundesliga were completed far earlier than anticipated. Brentford will receive €10 million in exchange for their number one, which is €3 million less than the initial request.
Flekken is expected to become Leverkusen’s new first-choice custodian, a strange development that fits Flekken’s unusual career history. Leverkusen appeared to have numerous “keepers of the future” in recent years. Matej Kovar, Patrick Pence, and Lennard Grill have all yet to see it come true. Squad captain Lukas Hradecky (35) has long displayed indications of ageing.
A couple of good seasons under SCF head coach Christian Streich in 2021/22 and 2022/23 allowed him to increase his estimated market value from €2m to €12 million. Freiburg transferred him to Brentford for €13 million two summers ago.
As a result, the former Freiburg player will take on the role between the sticks. Flekken, who was notably mocked for one of football’s biggest goalkeeping gaffes when at MSV Duisburg, spent three years as a back-up (because to injury issues) at Freiburg until eventually being given his shot as a Bundesliga starter, and later a Dutch international, in 2021 at the age of 28.
