Gladbach confirm Valentino Lazaro will return to Serie A
Gladbach officially confirmed the departure of Valentino Lazaro on Thursday. The Austrian international's second stint in the Bundesliga ends as he heads back to parent club Inter Milan.
The scorer of a strong candidate for the 2020/21 Bundesliga's "Goal of the Season" will be departing Germany for the second time. Valentino Lazaro's "scorpion kick goal" in a round seven defeat to Bayer 04 Leverkusen shan't soon be forgotten by league watchers.
His contribution to the foals this season (two goals and one assist in 27 appearances) may render him a target of other Bundesliga clubs should Inter wish to consider a separate loan. Lazaro, on loan stints with Gladbach and Newcastle, has barely played with his Serie A parent club over the past two years.
The confirmation was not unexpected. BMG sporting director Max Eberl let it be known that the NRW had no purchase option to acquire the 25-year-old in late February. The Austrian international and former Hertha professional has expressed enthusiasm for playing in the Bundesliga, suggesting that he would be amenable to playing for another club.
Other clubs will nevertheless remain wary of procuring him after an injury riddled campaign. Two muscle injuries adversely affected his availability over the season.
"The reason Valentino couldn't hit the ground running owes much to injuries," Eberl noted in a statement, "That's the way it is. We nevertheless got a player who was very flexible and helped us."
Eberl: Nach aktuellem Stand wird @valentinolazaro erst einmal nach der Saison zu @Inter zurückkehren. Nach dem letzten Spieltag werden wir dann mit dem neuen Trainer in die Kaderplanungen für die nächste Saison einsteigen. Dann müssen wir die Situation insgesamt bewerten. #SVWBMG
— Borussia (@borussia) May 20, 2021