Back to sender
Four years on, the circle is almost complete.
Arthur Theate looks very close to returning to Bologna. According to Gianluca Di Marzio, the Rossoblu are in the final stages of talks with Eintracht Frankfurt. The deal on the table is a loan with a buy option set at 15 million euros.
The Italian journalist says the move is well advanced. The Belgian defender could land in Italy as soon as Friday or Saturday to wrap it up. Nothing signed yet. This one feels alive, though.
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Bologna already made 12 million on him once
This is not a blind gamble. Theate wore Bologna colours in the 2021-2022 season. One campaign only, but enough to leave a mark.
The Italian club signed him from KV Ostende for just under seven million euros. They sold him on to Rennes for 19 million a year later. Do the maths. A 12 million euro profit in 12 months on a 21-year-old Belgian centre-back is about as good as this club has ever done on a defender.
Taking him back on loan now, with a 15 million euro option, means buying him back at roughly what they sold him for, after he has put Bundesliga and Ligue 1 miles into his legs.
Frankfurt reshuffle at the back
On the German side, this exit is not happening in isolation. Foot Mercato reported on Friday night that Lilian Brassier is close to Eintracht, arriving from Stade Rennais. One Belgian centre-back out, one French centre-back in, four days before the window shuts.
The timing fits. Frankfurt are not letting a starter walk without cover lined up, and the chain is moving in the right order.
For Theate the stakes are more personal. Rennes, Frankfurt, the Belgium squad: he has ticked boxes without ever really putting down roots anywhere since Bologna. Going back to where it started is not the road most players expect to be on at 25.
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