According to media reports, the departure of Hannover 96 sporting director Marcus Mann is looming. In addition, the Lower Saxony club will be without two forwards for Saturday’s match against VfL Bochum.
At second-division side Hannover 96, VfL Bochum’s next opponent, the departure of sporting director Marcus Mann is reportedly imminent. As the “Bild” newspaper reports, Austrian club RB Salzburg is making an intensive effort to sign the Lower Saxony club’s sporting director.
Talks are already underway, as 96 boss Martin Kind confirmed to “Bild.” “RB Salzburg has made an official and concrete approach. They want Marcus Mann. (…) Marcus Mann is interested, and we don’t want to hinder his career and development. But if that starts two years from now, that would of course be okay with us, too. We will always handle everything with goodwill, but we won’t let ourselves be pressured on timing. Without an alternative, there is no solution,” said the 81-year-old.
Talks with the 41-year-old are reportedly already well advanced and could be concluded quickly. Most recently, the “Kurier” reported that Kind is negotiating a transfer fee for Mann with Red Bull boss Oliver Mintzlaff and RB soccer director Jürgen Klopp. The contract of the 96 sporting director, which contains no buyout clause, remains valid until 2029.
Mann has been with Hannover since the summer of 2021. Initially hired as sporting director, he was promoted to managing director of sports in March of this year. VfL Wolfsburg was also recently rumored to be interested in Mann, but the struggling Bundesliga club was turned down.
First-half season over for two attacking players
In both the league match this coming Saturday (December 13, 8:30 p.m.) against VfL Bochum and the final game before the winter break at 1. FC Nürnberg (December 21, 1:30 p.m.), the fifth-place team will be without Mustapha Bundu and Husseyn Chakroun due to injury.
Right winger Bundu, who has played his way into coach Christian Titz’s starting lineup in recent weeks, suffered a medial ligament injury last weekend during the 2-2 draw in Münster and will therefore miss the final two matches of the first half of the season.
Husseyn Chakroun will also not take the field again this year. The 21-year-old forward had to be substituted in Münster after just 25 minutes because he felt muscle problems in his thigh following a tackle. Further examinations confirmed the suspicion of a structural muscle-tendon injury in his left thigh. This will result in a “several-week” absence, 96 announced.
