Borussia Monchengladbach chief hits out at Jonas Hofmann over Bayer Leverkusen switch

Borussia Monchengladbach sporting director Roland Virkus has opened up on his disappointment at Jonas Hofmann's move to Bayer Leverkusen.

The 30-year-old's move to Leverkusen was confirmed on Wednesday, with the Germany international arriving at the club for €10m (£8.5m), which was the release clause in his deal.

"We have been dealing with Jonas for a long time and are glad that he has decided to join Bayer 04," Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes said in a statement: "He's the type of player we were looking for in our squad."

Meanwhile, Hoffmann added: "I'm very grateful to Borussia for the past seven years. I had an outstanding time there. Recently, however, I had the feeling that I wanted to do something new.

"Bayer 04 fits in with these thoughts, the club has been one of the top German clubs for years and is always ambitious internationally. The team is exciting and has an unbelievable amount of quality. I'm really excited for this next chapter."

© Reuters

Hofmann, who has penned a four-year contract at Leverkusen, moved to Monchengladbach from Borussia Dortmund in January 2016, and he leaves the club having made 214 appearances in all competitions, scoring 48 goals and registering 51 assists in the process.

Last season, the German made 33 appearances in all competitions, scoring 14 goals and registering 12 assists during an impressive campaign.

Monchengladbach sporting director Virkus has now expressed his frustration at the move in an interview published on the club's official website.

"We had intensive talks with Jonas and fought to keep him at Borussia. We showed him the sporting and human role he can play in our new direction and tried to extend his contract again on adjusted terms. The talks were very open and in the end we made an offer that met all the conditions Jonas had set," he said.

© Reuters

"The fact that he chose to activate the release clause does not leave a good feeling. Nevertheless, his decision must be respected and Jonas must be thanked for his commitment and achievements for Borussia.

"Jonas' decision to leave Borussia is of course a great pity for us. When we extended his contract, which was due to expire this year, to 2025 last summer, it was a clear condition of Jonas and his management that we include an exit clause.

"Although release clauses are not ideal for the club, we agreed to this request. We wanted to keep an important player at Borussia in a difficult phase and at the same time prevent another free transfer this summer."

Monchengladbach finished 10th in the Bundesliga last season, while Leverkusen were sixth, which saw them qualify for the group stage of the 2023-24 Europa League.