Michael Zetterer to Leeds transfer chances: How likely is deal for Frankfurt keeper? Football Whispers Index score

certified author
update icon

Updated

Michael Zetterer to Leeds transfer chances: How likely is deal for Frankfurt keeper? Football Whispers Index score
Leeds are closing in on Michael Zetterer | Credit: IMAGO / Beautiful Sports

Leeds United are closing in on a deal for Eintracht Frankfurt goalkeeper Michael Zetterer as cover for James Trafford.

Sky Sports News and The Athletic both report that the two clubs are close to an agreement in principle, though Frankfurt still need to sort their own goalkeeping situation before the move can go through.

The 31-year-old would arrive as Leeds' first senior addition behind Trafford since Karl Darlow left and Illan Meslier was released this summer, with Lucas Perri also closing in on a separate exit to Torino.

Find our unique Football Whispers Index score, rating the likelihood of the deal, below.

Zetterer to Leeds rated ‘Very likely'

Football Whispers Index: Transfer predictor

Michael Zetterer to Leeds United

Very likely
Leeds have booked a medical for Zetterer as cover for James Trafford, with The Athletic and BBC Sport both reporting the deal is agreed pending its completion.
Updated
Financial viability19 / 25
Buying club need20 / 20
Player motivation8 / 15
Selling club incentive15 / 20
Market momentum17 / 20
Financial viability19 / 25
  • Zetterer signed a four year contract when he joined Eintracht Frankfurt from Werder Bremen on 20 August 2025, tying him to Deutsche Bank Park until 30 June 2029.
  • He earns close to €72,500 a week in fixed salary at Frankfurt, comfortably below what Leeds already pay their highest earners.
  • Transfermarkt puts his market value at €4.5m, a modest fee against a Premier League revenue base of around £220m in Leeds' second season back in the top flight.
  • Three years remain on his Frankfurt deal, giving the German club some leverage to ask for a fee rather than risk losing him for nothing.
Buying club need20 / 20
  • Leeds have already lost Karl Darlow and Illan Meslier this summer, with Lucas Perri also closing in on an exit to Torino.
  • James Trafford arrived from Manchester City in a club record deal and is the undisputed choice between the posts.
  • Alex Cairns is currently the only fit senior alternative, despite staking a claim in pre-season.
  • Zetterer made 22 Bundesliga appearances last season with a 65.3 percent save rate, far more top level experience than Cairns carries at this level.
Player motivation8 / 15
  • Zetterer's agent Nico Pellatz said in the past week that a move away from Frankfurt was out of the question.
  • Since then Zetterer has flown to England and been booked in for a medical with Leeds.
  • A move to Leeds would mean understudying James Trafford, who has missed just one match through injury or illness in his career.
  • No pay rise has been reported, with Zetterer's Frankfurt wage already close to typical Premier League backup levels.
Selling club incentive15 / 20
  • Frankfurt have agreed a deal to bring in Noah Atubolu from Freiburg on loan with an option to buy.
  • That arrival clears the way for Zetterer's exit, with Frankfurt no longer needing him as Kaua Santos' understudy.
  • Kaua Santos has also been linked with an Eintracht exit this summer, leaving the club needing to resolve two goalkeeping situations at once.
  • Zetterer made 28 appearances for Frankfurt in all competitions last season as they finished eighth in the Bundesliga.
Market momentum17 / 20
  • The Athletic and BBC Sport both report Leeds have booked a medical for Zetterer.
  • TeamTalk add that the move has been given the green light by the player after a week of uncertainty.
  • Lucas Perri is set to join Torino on a season long loan with an option to buy once Zetterer's move is completed.
  • Leeds' Premier League window closes at 11pm on Tuesday 1 September.
The verdict91 / 100
Leeds have a medical booked and Frankfurt have lined up their own replacement, which is why the number sits in Very likely rather than just Likely.
It happens if that medical goes ahead as planned and Zetterer completes his move alongside Perri's exit to Torino.
It stalls if the same doubts that stalled it a week ago resurface, since this exact move has already fallen through once at this stage.

certified author

A journalism graduate from the University of Sheffield, Barney firmly believes that there is no such thing as a bad sport. As a lifelong Liverpool fan, he still regularly replays the 2005 Champions League final and lists a host of players from the Anfield club amongst his favourite sportsmen. On the field himself, Barney has forged a reputation as a goalscoring defender with a fearsome left foot that earned him a (self-proclaimed) nickname of John (b)Arne(y) Riise (nothing to do with the ginger hair).

Related articles