Werder Bremen striker Dawid Kownacki has emerged as a transfer target for newly promoted 2. Bundesliga side Energie Cottbus after being put up for sale by his parent club.
Claus-Dieter Wollitz, the head coach of Energie Cottbus, publicly opened the door for the 29-year-old Polish forward ahead of his team's DFB-Pokal match against Bundesliga club Augsburg.
Speaking at a pre-match press conference, Wollitz said Kownacki would be welcome at Cottbus if he wanted to play well again, according to German newspaper Maerkische Allgemeine Zeitung.
The seven-time Polish international returned to Werder Bremen following a season-long loan spell at Hertha Berlin. German football portal deichstube.de reported that Bremen have no space for Kownacki in their squad and have listed him for sale.
Ekstraklasa options and Wieczysta Krakow link
A return to Poland's top division, the Ekstraklasa, has also been discussed as a potential destination for Kownacki. Journalist Mateusz Hawrot of Polish sports portal Meczyki.pl stated that Kownacki is on the radar of several Ekstraklasa clubs, adding that Krakow-based side Wieczysta Krakow could afford to buy the player from Bremen.
Hawrot noted that Werder Bremen might finally be ready to let Kownacki depart. However, questions remain over whether Wieczysta actively retains interest in Kownacki after officially completing the signing of Greek striker Efthymios Koulouris on Thursday.
Remaining in the 2. Bundesliga presents another viable path for Kownacki. The forward previously built a strong reputation in Germany's second division during a successful spell with Fortuna Duesseldorf before his move to Bremen.
Energie Cottbus transfer status and Polish teammate
Despite the comments from Wollitz, Maerkische Allgemeine Zeitung reported that Energie Cottbus has not yet made official contact with Kownacki or his agent regarding a potential transfer. However, the Brandenburg-based club has not ruled out further squad additions before the transfer window closes, making it uncertain how serious the manager's invitation is.
If a move to Cottbus goes through, Kownacki would meet fellow Polish player Marcel Lotka at the club. The 25-year-old goalkeeper joined Cottbus after playing for Borussia Dortmund's reserve team.
Lotka has started both of Energie Cottbus's 2. Bundesliga fixtures so far this season. Cottbus recorded a 3-1 victory over Hannover 96 before suffering a 0-3 defeat against Arminia Bielefeld.
