Official: Union extend Baumgartl's loan deal for another year
FC Union Berlin confirmed that they had extended Timo Baumgartl's loan arrangement for another season on Tuesday evening.
Böblingen native Timo Baumgartl will spend another season in his home country. On Tuesday, 1. FC Union Berlin confirmed that they had extended the 26-year-old's current loan deal with Erdevisie side PSV Eindhoven for another year. The former VfB Stuttgart central defender made 34 appearances for the Köpenickers this past season, increasing his market value from €2 million to €5 million.
"I felt very comfortable at Union from the start and have taken not only the club and its people, but also the city, to my heart," Baumgartl said recently, "I'm looking forward to spending more time here."
"Timo has shown in his first season how important he is for our defensive corps," FCU sporting director Oliver Ruhnert said in a statement accompanying today's transaction. "Therefore, the extension of the loan makes sense for us from a footballing perspective."
There is, in fact, a bit more than merely a "footballing perspective" at work in the renewed loan deal. Baumgartl was unfortunately diagnosed with testicular cancer shortly before the end of the season. It has now been confirmed that the player successfully had a tumor removed and stands a good chance at making a full recovery.
"We want to support Timo as best we can in his recovery," Ruhnert also noted, "He can continue to count on the support of Union."
✍ Tinte trocken, Leihe verlängert: Schön, dass Du bei uns bleibst, @BaumgartlTimo!#fcunion https://t.co/SDeTVGdn2q
— 1. FC Union Berlin (@fcunion) June 14, 2022
Wir uns auch, Timo, wir uns auch 😌 pic.twitter.com/0JAVTbCtbI
— 1. FC Union Berlin (@fcunion) June 14, 2022