Dortmund playing hardball with Gladbach over Hazard

Alleged by Kicker (article in German), Zorc is forcing Borussia Mönchengladbach to lower their price on Thorgan Hazard this summer by threatening that the Belgian will leave the club next summer for free - should a transfer not occur in the coming months. Talks between Eberl and Zorc have stalled, as Hazard’s €40m is the obvious sticking point. Seeing how Gladbach obviously want to recoup the largest fee possible, evidenced by Liverpool’s interest in the versatile attacker, and their alleged wish to move Hazard outside of the Bundesliga, it must be frustrating to be put in this position. According to Kicker, losing Hazard for free next summer is not an option for Eberl, and if Hazard is willing to push off his move to Dortmund for entire year, Gladbach has no other option but to sell for a cut rate fee this summer.

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This transfer tactic has been established in the Bundesliga by Bayern, poaching the likes of Goretzka, Rudy, Rode, and potentially Werner on free transfers, with the likes of Hummels and Pavard both being signed with a year left on their deals. Doing so pushes the price down of players due to their decrease contract value, but with the added threat of stealing a player for no compensation whatsoever, it forces clubs to sell or suffer the consequences. Either way, clubs are forced to replace a talented player for a fraction of the expected compensation, reinforcing a clear financial hierarchy - a problem that has persisted with Bayern’s dominance on top of the Bundesliga. While Zorc’s attempt to narrow the gap on Bayern through the use of tactics that are not selling club friendly are not ideal for the health of the league, it does not make sense to prevent success by failing to exploit the same transfer tactics as the competition.

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The reason why Zorc is playing hardball with Gladbach is potentially the club’s growing transfer wishlist - with names like Gündogan, David Neres, and Nico Schultz being linked to die Schwartzgelben, in response to certain positions needing quality depth, most notably left back and center mid. Spending as little as possible of the profit made from the Pulisic transfer may be vital for a huge summer ahead. How Zorc has been managing the Hazard transfer has had the mannerisms of a big club, as Zorc and Watzke attempt the ongoing transition into a club that can compete with Bayern and flex some financial power during the summer.

What are your thoughts on Zorc’s handling of the Hazard transfer?