Nagelsmann wanted to keep him
“I don’t think he will leave us,” Bayern Munich head coach Julian Nagelsmann said last Friday when asked about Chris Richards’ potential departure. “But that isn’t just up to me.” Four days later the 21-year-old center-back is on the verge of returning to Hoffenheim.
Both Sport1 and kicker reported on Tuesday that the US men’s national team player is already in the Kraichgau to complete his loan deal. Richards played 13 games for Hoffenheim while on loan with the club last season. The 21-year-old is optimistic that a summer transfer will guarantee him more playing time.
Richards is under contract at Bayern Munich until 2023. The defender was originally signed for €1.1 million from FC Dallas in January 2019 after being previously on loan at the club. Richards is the second most valuable US center-back behind John Anthony Brooks.