Orban to Toulouse? There is still a need for discussion
The fact that Gift Orban was not part of Hoffenheim's DFB Cup squad in Rostock on Saturday has fueled speculation about an impending transfer. However, negotiations are still needed.
Is Orban leaving TSG Hoffenheim again? IMAGO/Jan Huebner
In fact, the management of TSG Hoffenheim and FC Toulouse are currently negotiating a transfer for Gift Orban . However, kicker cannot confirm that this is imminent, as French media have claimed, because they are still a long way from reaching an agreement.
Mostly part-time worker despite decent goal ratioLast season's tenth-place Ligue 1 team would like to loan the Nigerian. A loan alone isn't fundamentally an obstacle, even if the Kraichgau club would prefer an outright sale – provided the overall package is right. It's conceivable, then, that the current status of the talks will focus on details such as an obligation to buy, which is based on certain variables, or the amount of a purchase option. Given the high investment in Orban last winter alone, TSG sporting director Andreas Schicker will have to be careful to secure a reasonable sum for the 23-year-old.
The Bundesliga club paid Olympique Lyon a base fee of €9 million in January, with a further €3 million being or still being subject to certain conditions. Orban has yet to break through to a top performer under coach Christian Ilzer . In the second half of the season, he remained mostly part-time, often lacking a connection to the game, even though his four-goal record for a team fighting relegation is a respectable one.
Staying beyond the transfer period would be surprisingCurrently, however, the Nigerian is at best the fourth striker behind Fisnik Asllani , Tim Lemperle , and Max Moerstedt , depending on whether you classify Ihlas Bebou as a central attacker or a winger. And that's in the absence of record signing Adam Hlozek, who is once again injured.
Orban was not part of the squad for the dominant 4-0 DFB Cup win atHansa Rostock on Saturday afternoon, in which positional rivals Asllani and Moerstedt scored, which naturally fueled speculation about an impending transfer. So, things aren't quite there yet, at least not with Toulouse. It would still be surprising for Orban, who is contracted to TSG until 2029, to stay beyond the summer transfer window.
