Liverpool and Barcelona are among the clubs chasing Werder Bremen’s Finn Jeltsch, and Hansi Flick is leading their transfer pursuit.
The centre-back’s rise since joining the Bundesliga side from 1.FC Nuremberg in February 2025 isn’t going unnoticed. He made 60 appearances and nine are from this season.
Liverpool are already in the picture to sign him and Barcelona have now emerged as a new suitor.
The 20-year-old’s development has also seen him represent Germany youth teams before Jürgen Klopp called him up for the last international break. He was an unused substitute in two matches and has been waiting to make his senior debut.
Liverpool keen on young defender
On September 11th, Sport Witness covered a report from Italy explaining that the Reds are in the mix with Juventus to sign him. At that time, his value was around €35m.
Later that month, the Bundesliga side reportedly raised it to €45m as Real Madrid are also showing interest.
A ‘confidential’ report from Monday’s print edition of Sport backs up both Liverpool and Real Madrid interest when covering the latest about Barcelona. The newspaper states Andoni Iraola’s side and Los Blancos are willing to pay €50m for the defender.
Behind the scenes, Hansi Flick is leading Barcelona’s pursuit of Finn Jeltsch. The German knows the market from his country and used that expertise to sign Karim Adeyemi from Borussia Dortmund in the summer.
Barcelona’s plan for Liverpool target
Hansi Flick had personally identified Karim Adeyemi as a target and is repeating it with Finn Jeltsch.
Werder Bremen sources have informed the newspaper of the manager’s desire to sign the centre-back for the La Liga winners.
Last summer, Barca looked at Adeyemi’s former BVB teammate, Nico Schlotterbeck, but weren’t successful. Sport says the Werder Bremen star is a ‘serious, composed centre-back, very similar to Schlotterbeck’.
With a contract until 2030, Transfermarkt value him at €35m. However, the newspaper states this will be his final season with the Bundesliga side.
Flick wants his compatriot while Barcelona aren’t alone as Liverpool and Real Madrid are also keen.
Jeltsch’s price/valuation would rise if he were to continue his impressive run and attract interest from more top clubs.
The Camp Nou side are looking at the German U21 international for next summer. A lot could happen between now and the end of the season. It’s too early to decide where he will end up next.
Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez have contracts expiring in 2027. Therefore, the Anfield club have to start planning to reshape their defence, especially if either or both were to leave after this season.
Senior club career stats
| Club | Years | Apps | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. FC Nürnberg | 2023–2025 | 33 | 1 | 0 |
| VfB Stuttgart | 2025–present | 60 | 0 | 2 |
| Career total | 93 | 1 | 2 | |
Assists follow Opta definitions.
