Eintracht Frankfurt signs Germany under-21 forward Jessic Ngankam from Hertha Berlin #Eintracht #Frankfurt #signs #Germany #under21 #Jessic #Ngankam #Hertha #Berlin

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Eintracht Frankfurt has signed Germany under-21 forward Jessic Ngankam from Hertha Berlin on a five-year contract.

Frankfurt’s announcement on Friday will fuel speculation that its star forward Randal Kolo Muani could leave. The 24-year-old Kolo Muani, who scored 15 Bundesliga goals and set up 16 more in his debut season, has been linked with Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain.

Hertha, which was relegated from the Bundesliga last season, said it had done all it could to try to convince Ngankam to stay. The 22-year-old Ngankam had joined Hertha as a 6-year-old.

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“Unfortunately, he made another decision that we have to respect,” Hertha sporting director Benjamin Weber said. “Jessic is a true Berliner who came to us as a small boy, progressed through our academy, and from there into the professional area.”

Ngankam helped Hertha’s under-19 team win the German title in 2018. He made his Bundesliga debut in May 2020 as a 19-year-old and went on to make 37 league appearances for Hertha, scoring six goals and setting up three more.

“I’m going to stay a Hertha fan,” Ngankam told the club’s fans in a farewell video on Twitter.

Ngankam spent the 2021-22 season on loan at Greuther Fürth. Altogether he scored eight goals in 43 Bundesliga appearances.

“As a young player with great development potential, Jessic fits in perfectly with our strategy,” Frankfurt sporting director Markus Krösche said. “We’re pleased that he decided to join Eintracht Frankfurt despite other interesting offers. Jessic is a player who brings a lot of passion and power.”

Ngankam made three appearances for Germany at the U-21 European Championship last month but couldn’t prevent the team going out in the group stage.