Lemperle re-signs with Köln with ambitions for summer loan-out

Rising German talent Tim Lemperle will, ideally, represent 1. FC Köln through 2025. The 21-year-old German youth international was exploring the possibility of testing the market as he sat on an expiring contract with his current club. Speculation about a move as a free-agent this summer has now been put to rest, but it does appear as if Lemperle has been given a guarantee of a loan this summer. After just seven appearances off the bench this season, the youngster seeks more playing time at a different location.

"Even if I may have to take an intermediate step in the summer, my goal remains to play for FC in the Bundesliga," Lemperle is quoted as saying on a statement released on the club's website "FC [Köln] and head-coach [Baumgart] have shown me a clear path that I would like to take here - and I want to prove that I can do it."

"Tim is currently in a very crucial phase of his development," Köln managing director Christian Keller noted in a separate statement, "He is highly talented, but also has various areas of development to work on in order to make the final breakthrough to become a Bundesliga player. We are very happy to be able to continue supporting Tim in this important phase of his career beyond the summer, we want him to continue to raise his profile."

The local Kölner Express newspaper and the fan-run "Geißblog" report that second division sides Fortuna Düsseldorf and SpVgg Greuther Fürth are potentially interested in taking the attacker on. It's also stated that there is interest from unnamed sides in Belgium and the Netherlands.