Confirmed: Augsburg acquire Frakfurt's Jakic on loan
FC Augsburg quickly confirmed the pick up of Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder Kristijan Jakic shortly after rumors began to surface on Friday evening.
Not long after Sky Germany confirmed his imminent loan deal, Kristijan Jakic was unveiled as a new FC Augsburg player late Friday evening. The 26-year-old had barely featured for Eintracht Frankfurt this season. SGE chief sporting administrator Markus Krösche confirmed in a Frankfurt-released statement that the Croatian had lodged a transfer request.
"Kristijan Jakic has been an important player in our team in recent years," Krösche's statement read, "He has played a big part in our successes, especially winning the Europa League in 2022. This season, he is not getting the playing time he had hoped for. We have thus granted his request for a loan."
Sky Germany continues to report that a purchase option in the neighborhood of €5 million is built into the arrangement. Sky also claims that Frankfurt will pocket a loan fee in the event that Jakic goes unused. Statements by both the player and FCA's sporting director Marino Jurendic appear to suggest that this is not the case.
"After an enjoyable and successful time in Frankfurt, where I was able to play a lot of games in the first two seasons, it's now time for me to start a new chapter," Jakic noted, "With my consistent style-of-play, I fit in very well with Augsburg and I'm eager to wear the FCA jersey soon."
"Despite his age, Kristijan is already very experienced and impresses with his strong tackling ability," Jurendic added, "The signing gives our team a reliable; a strong defensive-minded player who fits in with us. I am convinced that he will quickly acclimatise to FCA and help us achieve our goals."
Jakic's roll-out capped a busy day in the Fuggerstadt. Early this morning, the club announced that a string of impressive performances had led to former captain Jeffery Gouweleeuw receiving a contract extension. The 32-year-old's expiring contract was unexpectedly renewed.