The latest from Mainz: Mateta not moving. Boetius, Quaison, and Niakhate still on the block
With the Ridle Baku deal completed, Mainz managing director Rouven Schröder took time out of his hectic schedule to let the press corps know that striker Jean-Phillpe Mateta is likely staying put. Schröder was less comital on the three remaining players he openly placed on the market two weeks ago.
German news media sources now confirm that struggling Bundesliga club FSV Mainz 05 will receive approximately €10 million from VfL Wolfsburg for the sale of right full back Ridle Baku.
The Pfälzer still look to reap gains from the transfer market before the window slams shut on Monday. Dr. Jan Lehman, the club's CFO, recently revealed that the decline in TV revenues and gate receipts resulting from the global pandemic translate to a minimum €15 million loss for the club.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, top personnel executive Rouven Schröder did explicitly rule out selling €15-million-valued striker Jean-Philippe Mateta. "There are no current indications he will leave the club," Schröder said when asked about the Frenchman.
With the fate of Mateta and Baku evidently sealed, that leaves top-scorer Robin Quaison (€10 million), central defender Moussa Niakhate (€11 million) and attacking midfielder Jean-Paul Boëtius (€5 million) as players potentially on the move before Monday.
"The next days will prove truly interesting," Schröder noted, "there's a lot of movement in the market with respect to our roster."
Mainz kickoff the 2020/21 Bundesliga's third round with a Friday evening encounter against 1. FC Union Berlin. Interim manager Jan Moritz-Lichte seeks to turn around the club's fledgling fortunes and perhaps make a case for a permanent appointment.