Official: Wolfsburg land Bornauw, Köln have replacement targeted
At long last one of the summer's biggest deals is official. A handsome transfer fee brings Belgium central defender Sebastiaan Bornauw to Germany's green company team.
All details leaked earlier in the day appear to be largely correct. Inclusive bonuses, 1. FC Köln's Sebastiaan Bornauw moves to the Bundesrepublik's Autostadt for a handsome fee totaling some €17 million. This is confirmed by German footballing magazine Kicker. Transfermarkt's German website also reports that Bornauw's ex-club RSC Anderlecht also earns a 30 percent stake on the base transfer fee. This amounts to approximately €2.25 million.
Taking the bonus payments into account, including re-sale bonuses for Köln, Bornauw is now the second most expensive sale in the cathedral city club's history, ahead of Lukas Podolski and behind Anthony Modeste. Wolfsburg eventually got their main target after protracted negotiations dating back to the conclusion of the 2020/21 Bundesliga season.
"Sebastiaan has made a name for himself with consistently strong performances," VfL sporting director Marcel Schäfer said in a statement, "He was our top target for the defense and we are very pleased that we could convince him to come to the VfL."
"I see a wonderful opportunity here to take the next step in my career and develop personally," Bornauw said in his own statement, "VfL is a top address in German football and I'm very much looking forward to the challenges awaiting us in the Bundesliga and in Europe."
According to transfermarkt, FC Köln already have Bornauw's replacement lined up. Fellow Belgium international Arthur Theate of KV Oostende is said to be the target, with negotiations hovering around the €8 million mark.
Kicker believes that VfL Wolfsburg may now be willing to entertain a higher Leipzig offer for Maxence Lacroix in order to free up cash for the Lucas Nmecha deal.
Der Defensivspieler @SebBornauw33 schließt sich zur neuen Saison dem VfL an. Der 22-jährige Belgier kommt vom @fckoeln und unterzeichnete bei Grün-Weiß einen Vertrag bis 2026. Willkommen in Wolfsburg, Sebastiaan! 👏🐺 pic.twitter.com/HVTBAQ6nKT
— VfL Wolfsburg (@VfL_Wolfsburg) July 16, 2021