HAMBURG, GERMANY - OCTOBER 21: Stephan Ambrosius of Hamburg gestures during the Second Bundesliga match between Hamburger SV and FC Erzgebirge Aue at Volksparkstadion on October 21, 2020 in Hamburg, Germany. (Photo by Martin Rose/Getty Images)
According to Hamburger Morgenpost (h/t Leeds Live), Leeds United target Stephan Ambrosius has rejected a contract offer from Hamburg. His current deal is set to expire next summer and he intends on walking out for free then.
The Whites were reported to have interest in the player during the last transfer window. They could end up making a move for him if the contract situation remains the same. (h/t Leeds Live)
Stephan Ambrosius started his footballing education at FC St. Pauli before moving to Hamburger’s academy, where he impressed across various age-group levels. The centre-back was eventually promoted to the club’s reserve team in 2017. He made his first-team debut against Stuttgart in the Bundesliga back in March 2018.
The 21-year-old made only a solitary substitute appearance in the German second-tier last season. Nonetheless, he has started his club’s first 5 league games this term. Ambrosius has made a total of 8 appearances in all competitions for Hamburger SV so far. (h/t Transfermarkt)
Leeds United roped in Robin Koch from Freiburg and Diego Llorente from Real Sociedad to bolster their centre-back ranks in the summer window after failing to agree a permanent deal with Brighton for last season’s loanee Ben White.
The Whites currently have enough cover at the back, with Koch and Llorente competing for places alongside skipper Liam Cooper at the heart of the defence. Marcelo Bielsa also has promising academy starlets like Leif Davis and Oliver Casey available at his disposal, meaning Leeds should get through the campaign unscathed unless there are any grave injury issues.
It’s clear that the Whites are pursuing an interest in the German with one eye on the future. That certainly makes sense given Ambrosius has only played a handful of first-team games for Hamburger and he needs more experience to make the step up to the Premier League.
In case a deal does materialize, Leeds should look to put him under a development plan at Elland Road with a view to gradually phasing him into the first-team mix.
Stephan Ambrosius might not be the finished article just yet but he seems like a real talent with a lot of potential. The Whites snapping him up in January or next summer would be a shrewd piece of business.
