Borussia Mönchengladbach sporting director Roland Virkus has denied fresh reports of a PSV Eindhoven offer for BMG defender Ko Itakura. The Bundesliga club boss, in a separate interview, has also commented on Gladbach’s future plans for German midfielder Florian Neuhaus.
Virkus spoke with both Kicker and Sport Bild.
“There is no offer for Ko,” Virkus told Kicker. “There was a vague inquiry about four weeks ago, but nothing has happened since then.”
“There is no Virkus-Neuhaus case,” Virkus told Sport Bild when asked about his standing with the presently suspended midfielder. “I am not a vindictive person. The club’s values were violated. He was disciplined. That’s the end of it.“
Both Virkus and his fellow front office manager Stefan Stegemann have been clear about the fact that Neuhaus’ situation will be reassessed after his month-long training demotion with the reserves has elapsed.
Much as the Westphalians might wish to sell Neuhaus, a termination of the 28-year-old’s contract isn’t really an option. Buying Neuhaus out of his contract could cost Gladbach untold millions.
Generally speaking, terminating a contract prematurely costs double what a player earns in a season. Neuhaus presently draws a €4m annual paycheck.
GGFN | Peter Weis
