SC Freiburg have officially confirmed the signing of highly-rated Karlsruher SC attacker Louey Ben Farhat. The 20-year-old joins Freiburg on a permanent transfer but will remain with KSC on loan for the duration of the 2026/27 campaign. Freiburg have not disclosed the length of the contract.
Reports differ slightly on the transfer fee. Kicker reports that Freiburg will pay approximately €7m, while Sky Germany places the guaranteed fee at €7.5m with a further €2.5m potentially due in bonuses. Should the full package be realized, the €10m deal would make Ben Farhat the most expensive sale in Karlsruhe history.
KSC have also secured a re-sale participation in any potential future transfer.
The arrangement nevertheless allows Karlsruhe to retain one of their most important attacking players for the current season. Freiburg, meanwhile, have secured one of German football’s most highly-rated young attackers before integrating him into Julian Schuster’s squad at a later stage.
Freiburg also reportedly possess the ability to bring Ben Farhat to the Breisgau during the winter. Such an option could prove valuable in January, when Japanese trio Yuito Suzuki, Rihito Yamamoto and Keisuke Goto may be unavailable due to international commitments at the Asian Cup.
Ben Farhat earns Bundesliga move after KSC breakthrough
Ben Farhat developed into one of the standout young players in the 2. Bundesliga during the 2025/26 campaign despite losing a substantial portion of the season to injury. A metatarsal fracture sidelined the German-born Tunisia international from late August until January.
The attacker nevertheless finished the league campaign with six goals and two assists in 20 appearances. His performances after returning from injury helped drive an estimated market-value rise from €3m to €10m.
Ben Farhat has now made 36 2. Bundesliga appearances overall, scoring nine goals. The Waiblingen native joined the KSC academy from Stuttgarter Kickers in 2022 and has since progressed into the senior side.
He has also earned two senior caps for Tunisia.
Freiburg beat Frankfurt and Salzburg to Ben Farhat
Ben Farhat had attracted significant interest well before Freiburg completed the transfer. Eintracht Frankfurt were among the clubs most seriously involved.
The player and Frankfurt had reportedly reached an agreement over a move, but Eintracht and Karlsruhe failed to agree on the transfer package. KSC rejected Frankfurt’s proposal and the interest subsequently cooled. RB Salzburg also entered the race during the closing stages of the window. Freiburg ultimately moved decisively enough to beat both clubs to the youngster’s signature.
The transfer contributes to a record-breaking summer of spending in the Breisgau.
According to Transfermarkt, Freiburg’s expenditure now stands at approximately €43.5m, representing a new club record and the first time the Sport-Club have surpassed €40m in spending during a single transfer window.
Ben Farhat will not immediately contribute to the new-look squad, but Freiburg have effectively secured one of the 2. Bundesliga’s most prominent young talents while allowing his development to continue uninterrupted in Karlsruhe.
Statements on Ben Farhat’s Freiburg transfer
“After a long process, I’m happy that we’ve now got everything sorted with Freiburg,” Ben Farhat said in the club statement. “The Sport-Club always remained in contact. The talks were very intensive recently and they showed me a good path forward. Now I’ll give everything for KSC so that we can be successful as a team and I can get myself into the best possible shape. Then I’m looking forward to the big new challenge at SC Freiburg.”
“We’re very pleased to have secured an extremely exciting young player in Louey,” SCF sporting director Klemens Hartenbach added. “Louey is technically very accomplished and possesses an excellent sense of space. He can pose a goal threat himself, but is also very capable of bringing his teammates into play.
“With the loan to KSC, we’ve found an optimal model,” Hartenbach continued. “Louey can continue collecting match practice at a high level there while simultaneously beginning a close relationship with the Sport-Club.”
