Darmstadt sell defender Klarer to Birmingham City
After four years in German football, 27-year-old Austrian defender Christoph Klarer is headed back to England. The one-time Southhampton professional has been sold by his 2. Bundesliga side SV Darmstadt 98 to third-tier EFL club Birmingham City. Klarer joined Darmstadt from Fortuna Düsseldorf only last summer.
Financial terms of the transfer were not divulged, but it remains safe to assume that recently relegated Darmstadt have pocketed some significant cash for the player they paid €2 million to acquire roughly a year ago. Klarer maintains an estimated market worth of €3 million in the latest transfermarkt listings.
Klarer was among Darmstadt's better performers in their recent relegation campaign. He scored two goals and notched two assists in 31 Bundesliga appearances last year. His new deal with the English club sporting the same colors of his old one runs for three years.
“Christoph informed us of his wishes early on," SVD98 sporting director Paul Fernie noted in a club statement, "We had no intention of letting him go without obtaining transfer surplus. This has now happened. We wish him all the best for his personal and sporting future in England."