SV Darmstadt 98 were dealt a blow on Tuesday, after German sports outlet 'kicker' confirmed that midfielder Hanno Behrens would not be signing a new deal.
The 25-year-old will now leave the club this summer and is free to join whoever he wishes. Head coach Dirk Schuster cited that "too high of a salary" was one of the stumbling blocks.
Behrens has been a key player for Darmstadt and their recent rise over the last few years. 24 appearances and three goals is certainly not a bad return and someone of his ilk will be sorely missed.
Despite the news, Schuster isn't terribly concerned: "There were long conversations, but Hanno has declined our final offer. However, this is a normal process in football."
Kosta Runjaic, 1. FC Kaiserslautern head coach, has admitted that he greatly admires Behrens, "He is a fine footballer who would fit our profile."
Romain Bregerie, Leon Balogun, Florian Jungwirth and Fabian Holland are also out of contract in the summer. The Darmstadt coach wasn't in any hurry to rush into discussions with them or over a possible replacement: "Patience is better than quick fixes," he added.
The Lilies are set to enter discussion with the aforementioned players, with Behrens being the first of those. The club aren't short of players in central midfield; Yannick Stark returned to the club in January, as well as Jerome Gondorf and Jungwirth in that particular role.
Quotes via kicker & echo-online.de