1. FC Saarbrücken is losing a real home-grown talent – and on a free transfer. A second division club and two first division clubs are said to be interested – among others.
It had been hinted at, but now 1. FC Saarbrücken have made it official in an announcement: home-grown talent Luca Kerber will leave the Saarland third division club on a free transfer after the season.
“It’s been a long time coming and has now been confirmed. Luca will unfortunately be leaving us in the summer. We have made every effort to keep him here at the club and have shown him the right prospects,” said coach and manager Rüdiger Ziehl in the club’s press release.
He added: “However, it is also understandable that he wants to take the opportunity to prove himself in a higher league.”
Kerber has played for FCS since 2016, when he moved from SSV Pachten to the youth section. On January 9, 2021, he played his first third-division match as an 18-year-old in the away game in Meppen.
“Bild”: Paderborn, Darmstadt and Heidenheim close to Kerber
The 22-year-old’s development and performances have aroused interest. According to the Bild newspaper, three clubs are reportedly interested in the free agent midfielder. The paper names second division club SC Paderborn, Bundesliga bottom side SV Darmstadt 98 and the surprise team in the top flight: 1. FC Heidenheim.
And these are not the only clubs who are after Kerber. Other Bundesliga clubs have repeatedly signaled their interest in recent weeks
Despite his young age,
Kerber has already made 104 third division appearances. He has scored eight times and provided a further eleven assists. He has also made ten appearances in the Saarland Cup and all five games in the current DFB Cup season. Kerber scored in the 2-0 win against Eintracht Frankfurt. The journey recently ended in the semi-finals – with a 0:2 defeat against 1. FC Kaiserslautern.
The 22-year-old is primarily deployed in central midfield, but can also play the role of defensive and attacking midfielder. His market value is currently estimated at 800,000 euros by transfermarkt.de – an all-time high.