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Marc Guiu arrival pushes Conrad Harder towards Strasbourg loan
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- Marc Guiu arrival pushes Conrad Harder towards Strasbourg loan
(USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect)
RB Leipzig have reached a verbal agreement with RC Strasbourg over the loan of Conrad Harder , with the Danish striker now set to leave Germany after just one season at the club.
The agreement was reported by Sky Sport and Florian Plettenberg , with the final details of the deal still being clarified before the transfer can be completed. Harder is expected to travel to France for his medical, with the paperwork then required to formally close the move.
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The remaining question concerns the structure of the loan.
Leipzig and Strasbourg have yet to settle whether the agreement will include a purchase option or remain a straight season-long loan. The latest German reporting suggests the current tendency is towards a loan without an option, although discussions are continuing.
That detail is important for Die Roten Bullen.
The club invested around €24 million to bring Harder from Sporting CP last summer, viewing the then-20-year-old as another high-potential attacking player capable of developing into a long-term option. Instead, his first season in the Bundesliga proved difficult. Harder made 29 league appearances but started only eight matches, scoring three goals.
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Under Martín Demichelis , his position became even less secure.
RBL have added further competition in attack during the final stages of the window, most notably with the return of Christopher Nkunku and the expected arrival of Marc Guiu from Chelsea . That has left Harder facing another season in which regular starts would have been difficult to guarantee.
Rather than allowing his development to stall, Leipzig have opted for a different solution.
Strasbourg can offer Harder a much more prominent role. The French club is bringing in the Denmark international with the expectation that he can play regularly as a centre-forward, giving him the opportunity to rebuild his rhythm and confidence after an inconsistent first year in Germany.
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The move also represents a significant change of environment for Harder.
He arrived in Germany after helping Sporting win the Portuguese league and cup double, having already shown flashes of his potential in European competition. His Bundesliga adaptation, however, was slower than expected. A season in Ligue 1 could now provide the uninterrupted playing time that Leipzig cannot currently guarantee him.
There had been interest from several clubs, including Sevilla, Leeds United and others, but Strasbourg have ultimately won the race for his signature.
For Leipzig, the priority now appears to be giving Harder the conditions to develop rather than making a definitive decision on his future.
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If the final agreement remains a straight loan, the club will retain control over a player who still has a contract until 2030.
And that may be the most revealing part of the deal: Leipzig are not necessarily closing the door on Harder. They are giving him somewhere else to open it.
