After three seasons at Freiburg, Ritsu Doan (27) has secured a move to Eintracht Frankfurt. The Hessen club have paid a reported €22m (€21m + €1m in bonuses) to sign the Japanese international, who has signed a five-year contract with SGE until 2030.
“Ritsu Doan has proven his high quality in the Bundesliga in recent years and brings with him skills that will help us achieve our goals,” said sporting director Markus Krösche. “As a Japanese international, he has extensive international experience and has impressed in Freiburg with his technique, speed and mentality in recent years. We are delighted that Ritsu is now with us.”
Eintracht Frankfurt fought off competition from Borussia Dortmund to sign Doan, who scored 10 goals and provided eight assists in 34 Bundesliga games last season.
Doan’s arrival is again another example of Eintracht’s excellent recruitment team. They find themselves in a healthy financial position after selling Randal Kolo Muani, Omar Marmoush and Hugo Ekitike for significant returns on investment which has allowed them to splash on Jonathan Burkardt and now Doan. But it’s also a testament to Krösche who negotiated a fee lower than Doan’s reported €27m release clause.
GGFN | Daniel Pinder
