Kaiserslautern and Schalke in tug-of-war for Puchacz

Will the Polish full-back find more regular playing time at Die Roten Teufel or Die Knappen?

As Sky Germany reports, Schalke 04 is considering making an offer for left-back Tymoteusz Puchacz.  

Apparently, there have already been talks between the Royal Blues and Holstein Kiel officials regarding a potential loan deal. 

However, a transfer to Gelsenkirchen would likely require the sale of Anton Donkor who plays a similar role to the Polish full-back. 

Puchacz is contractually bound to Holstein Kiel until 2028, but his agent, Tomasz Magdziarz, recently confirmed that Kaiserslautern is also interested.

“It’s true, Kaiserslautern is talking to us, I don’t want to hide that. We are looking for the best options for him,” he told Polish broadcaster Meczyki.

The 26-year-old hadn’t been getting the playing time he’d been looking for at Kiel, who were relegated from the Bundesliga last season. 

Since signing Union Berlin for €2million about a year ago, Puchacz made just 12 appearances for the Storks before being loaned to Plymouth. 

In the English second division, he was a regular under current Schalke head coach Miron Muslic, making 18 appearances.

However, the 26-year-old played also for Kaiserslautern in the 2023/24 season, then on loan from Union Berlin.

Puchacz made 36 competitive appearances for the Palatinate club and was a key defensive player over the course of the campaign.