AC Milan are reportedly close to an agreement with Markus Krosche to become the club’s new Head of Football. The 45-year-old German has built his reputation through senior roles at RB Leipzig and Eintracht Frankfurt, while overseeing the recruitment of several players who later commanded substantial transfer fees.
A former holding midfielder, Krosche developed through the youth and reserve systems at Werder Bremen before joining SC Paderborn in 2001. He spent the remainder of his playing career there and made 356 league appearances, a club record.
After retiring in 2014, Krosche briefly managed SC Paderborn II. He then joined Roger Schmidt’s coaching staff at Bayer Leverkusen, serving as an assistant between 2015 and 2017.
Krosche left Bayer Leverkusen after Schmidt was dismissed towards the end of the 2016-17 season and returned to SC Paderborn as managing director. During his time in charge, the club secured successive promotions from the third tier of German football to the Bundesliga.
That achievement took SC Paderborn into the top flight for only the second time in its history and helped Krosche earn an opportunity at RB Leipzig. He became the club’s sporting director in 2019 and remained in the role for two seasons, until 2021.
Since then, Krosche has worked at Eintracht Frankfurt, where he is contracted until 2028. He currently sits on the club’s board as the ‘board member for sport’.
His recruitment record includes a number of prominent names, among them Dani Olmo, Josko Gvardiol, Randal Kolo Muani and Hugo Ekitike. Several of those deals later produced significant profits for their clubs.
Krosche’s most notable and profitable signings include:
– Ademola Lookman: Everton to RB Leipzig for €18m
– Christopher Nkunku: PSG to RB Leipzig for €19.5m; later sold to Chelsea for €60m
– Dani Olmo: Dinamo Zagreb to RB Leipzig for €34m; later sold to Barcelona for €61m
– Josko Gvardiol: Dinamo Zagreb to RB Leipzig for €36m; later sold to Manchester City for €90m
– Lazar Samardzic: Hertha BSC to RB Leipzig for €500,000
– Josep Martinez: Las Palmas to RB Leipzig for €2.5m
– Randal Kolo Muani: FC Nantes to Eintracht Frankfurt on a free transfer; later sold to PSG for €95m
– Mario Gotze: PSV to Eintracht Frankfurt for €4.5m
– Omar Marmoush: Wolfsburg to Eintracht Frankfurt on a free transfer; later sold to Manchester City for €75m
– Willian Pacho: Royal Antwerp to Eintracht Frankfurt for €13.5m; later sold to PSG for €40m
– Nathaniel Brown: 1. FC Nuremberg to Eintracht Frankfurt for €5.5m
– Hugo Ekitike: PSG to Eintracht Frankfurt for €31.5m; later sold to Liverpool for €95m
