Bundesliga sides 1. FC Koln and FC Schalke 04 have both opened advanced talks with Ghana left-back Gideon Mensah in the past 24 hours, Flashscore understands.
Both German clubs made contact with the player’s representatives in the past few hours, and negotiations over personal terms and length of contract are described as “advanced.”
A resolution is expected to come quickly, given how compressed the summer window is around a mid-tournament World Cup schedule.
Mensah had been the subject of earlier interest this summer. A number of Turkish clubs enquired about his availability in the days after Auxerre’s Ligue 1 season concluded, and Portuguese giants Benfica made a preliminary approach through intermediaries.
None of those conversations, however, progressed to the level now being described in Germany. Koln and Schalke are, at this stage, the two clubs showing concrete interest and moving with intent.
The Ghana left-back has been available on a free transfer since June 30th, when his contract with French Ligue 1 side Auxerre officially expired.
At Köln, the interest is part of a broader restructuring of René Wagner’s squad. The Geißböcke survived their return to the Bundesliga last season, finishing 14th and comfortably above the drop zone but nowhere near where the club’s ambition sits.
Sporting leadership at RheinEnergieSTADION are targeting a more competitive 2026.27 campaign and have earmarked the left-back berth as a priority.
Mensah is being viewed as the direct replacement for Kristoffer Lund, the Denmark international who spent last season on loan at Köln from Palermo and is now returning to the Serie A club at the end of that agreement.
For Schalke, they sealed promotion back to the Bundesliga in May after clinching the 2. Bundesliga title, ending a three-season absence from Germany’s top flight.
Head coach Miron Muslić, who guided the promotion push, is now overseeing an aggressive rebuild designed to consolidate Schalke as a Bundesliga side once again.
Adding an experienced international left-back who arrives on a free transfer fits neatly into that strategic and financial equation.
Mensah’s numbers at the 2026 FIFA World Cup have done much of the negotiating for him. Across Ghana’s three group-stage matches, the Auxerre-trained defender has averaged 2 tackles, 2.3 interceptions and 5.7 clearances per game, as Ghana have kept two clean sheets.
A final decision is expected to be made in the next few days but for now Mensah and Ghana face Colombia in the round of 32 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Saturday, July 4 at 1:30 GMT.
Follow Colombia vs Ghana on Flashscore.
