Overview

• The season-long loan from Mainz includes a purchase option that becomes mandatory if Köln avoids relegation and Krauß meets specified match-appearance thresholds.
• Krauß, 24, arrives after successive loans to Luton Town and VfL Bochum and has amassed 76 Bundesliga appearances.
• The Leipzig native requested the move to secure a long-term sporting home after struggling to settle at Mainz since his €5 million transfer in 2023.
• Sporting director Thomas Kessler cited Krauß’s mentality, dueling strength and dynamism as perfect for bolstering the club’s central midfield.
• Krauß is the fourth new addition following Jakub Kaminski, Ragnar Ache and Ísak Jóhannesson as Köln reshapes its squad for the upcoming campaign.