Austria international Christoph Baumgartner is expected to turn down a move to Premier League giants Liverpool to stay for another season of Bundesliga football with Hoffenheim, as reported by Kicker.
In truth, a move to Anfield always felt like a classic case of too much, too soon for a 21-year-old some have dubbed ‘the next Michael Ballack’.
Like the former Bayern Munich and Germany star, Baumgartner is a thundering express train of a midfielder, scoring 16 times over the past two seasons while producing his fair share of assists.
But the 14-cap forward is far from the finished article just yet.
Another season honing his considerable talents in the Bundesliga would do Baumgartner the world of good too, especially when you consider Roberto Firmino spent five years in Sinsheim before swapping Hoffenheim for Merseyside.
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Baumgartner unlikely to join Liverpool this summer
And it seems Baumgartner has come to the same conclusion.
According to Kicker, a man who is under contract until 2025 has committed his immediate future to Hoffenheim.
Only a so-called ‘mega offer’ would change his mind, with Manchester United joining Liverpool in expressing their admiration for one of Europe’s most exciting attacking midfielders.
Interestingly, Liverpool are also understood to be “cooling” their interest in another Bundesliga up-and-coming star, with Florian Neuhaus increasingly unlikely to be taking Gini Wijnaldum’s place in Klopp’s midfield (Echo).
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