Luca Netz joins Borussia Mönchengladbach from Hertha Berlin
Borussia Mönchengladbach have signed Germany youth international left-back Luca Netz from Hertha Berlin, the 18-year-old signing a five-year deal with the capital club.
Netz broke onto the Bundesliga scene late last season, making his debut in a 3-0 win over Schalke in January and scoring his first goal to earn a 1-1 draw with VfB Stuttgart in February at the age of 17 years, eight months and 30 days.
"Luca Netz is a very interesting player who we've been watching for a long time," said Gladbach sporting director Max Eberl. "In his position he's one of the brightest talents in Germany and we're very happy that he's decided to join Borussia Mönchengladbach."
Watch: a Netz-inspired Hertha hold Stuttgart
Despite overtaking the returning Kevin-Prince Boateng as the club's youngest ever goalscorer, Netz faced fierce competition from Maximilian Mittelstädt and Marvin Plattenhardt for his place at left-back, and a broken metatarsal sustained in March didn't help his cause.
A Fritz Walter bronze medal winner in 2020, Netz has scored five goals in 23 appearances for Germany up to U17 level. He could make his Gladbach debut as soon as Monday, when the Foals take on Kaiserslautern in the first round of the DFB Cup.
Related news
Bundesliga 2, Matchday 17 overview
Kaiserslautern host promotion rivals Cologne with the winner set to finish 2024 top of Germany's second tier...
Schick's four-goal haul propels Leverkusen to victory
Patrik Schick scored four times as the defending champions kept up their pursuit of leaders Bayern with a commanding 5-1 win over Freiburg.
Who is Patrik Schick?
Find out more on the Leverkusen man who has bounced back from a slew of injuries to be decisive once more for Die Werkself...