FC Köln’s Ondrej Duda is set to make his move to Italian club Hellas Verona permanent, as reported by Bild.
The attacking midfielder has spent the season on loan in Italy and following their relegation final win against Spezia (3-1), the obligation-to-buy clause has been triggered.
Should Verona of faced relegation to Serie B, Duda would have to return to the Cathedral City. However, this is the best outcome for both player and club. Köln’s relationship with the Slovakian has been a turbulent one over the past few seasons.
Last season, the 28-year-old had a bust-up with head coach Steffan Baumgart which resulted in the player having to train with the reserves. He later apologised and was allowed back into first-team training. However, the billygoats were always looking to offload since then.
Köln will receive €2.5m in the deal and finally get Duda off the wage bill which was costing them around €2.4m per year.
GGFN | Jamie Allen
