Eintracht Frankfurt has abandoned its pursuit of Arnaud Kalimuendo and loaned out Niels Nkounkou to OGC Nice in the final hours of the transfer window. The Eagles head into the international break sitting ninth in the Bundesliga with one point from one match, as shown in the current standings.
Get German Football News reported the developments, stating that Eintracht was exploring another loan for Kalimuendo. The 24-year-old forward spent the second half of last season at Deutsche Bank Park. However, Nottingham Forest were seeking a fee in excess of €30m for the former Paris Saint-Germain attacker. "Forest were seeking more than €30m for Kalimuendo, a figure that would have required Frankfurt to make a club-record investment in the striker," the outlet said.
Why did the Kalimuendo deal collapse?
The asking price proved to be an insurmountable obstacle. A transfer at that level would have eclipsed Frankfurt's existing record fee. Club officials aimed to simplify the squad during the window's final hours, not burden it with such a significant financial commitment. Kalimuendo therefore remains with Nottingham Forest. Concurrently, France U21 international Jean-Mattéo Bahoya completed a move to Leeds United on loan with a mandatory €30m purchase clause.
What does Niels Nkounkou's departure mean?
Another move in the squad simplify process was the loan of Niels Nkounkou to OGC Nice. The 25-year-old left-back joins the French side for the entirety of the campaign. The Frenchman remains under contract with Eintracht Frankfurt through June 2028. Frankfurt originally paid approximately €7.5m to sign him from AS Saint-Étienne in 2023. Under manager Dino Toppmöller, Nkounkou featured in the season's opening DFB-Pokal fixture but was not in the squad for either of the club's subsequent competitive matches this year. Get German Football News covered the situation as Nkounkou earning a "fresh audition" under Toppmöller, which will now take place in France.
Nice holds a purchase option on the defender. A permanent move next summer is a possibility, which would be one year before his Frankfurt contract expires. Nkounkou spent the previous season on loan at Torino in a deal that included a conditional permanent-transfer mechanism. His exit, coupled with the €50m sale of Nathaniel Brown to Bayern Munich, creates opportunities for young fullback pairing Keita Kosugi and Elias Baum within the Frankfurt squad.
What is Eintracht Frankfurt's current sporting situation?
The Eagles began the new Bundesliga season with a draw and sit in ninth place with one point. Their record after one match shows three goals scored and three conceded. They trail league leaders Bayern Munich by two points in the table. All current team data is available on our stats page. Attention now turns to preparation for the next match after the break.
The next fixture sees Eintracht Frankfurt travel to face FSV Mainz 05 on September 12, 2026. Mainz currently occupies 11th place in the standings. The full schedule of upcoming matches can be found in the fixtures list.
