Fortuna Dusseldorf sporting director Klaus Allofs has insisted that the club have not given up on the prospect of holding on to Norwich City loanee Christos Tzolis beyond the end of his current loan stint.
Tzolis joined Dusseldorf last summer on a loan deal from Championship side Norwich and has scored 17 times for the German second tier side.
The German club have a €6m option to buy the attacker but it has been claimed that they do not have the financial muscle to trigger it and could even struggle to do so in the event of promotion.
Allofs confirmed that Dusseldorf do not have the money to sign the attacker on the terms they agreed with Norwich last summer, but insisted that the club are keeping an open mind and are in talks with the player and his agent.
He stressed that the club want to hold on to Tzolis and are exploring the options to make sure he is at Dusseldorf next season.
Allofs told German daily Bild (via Fussball Transfers): “If you look at the situation very objectively, we don’t have the money.
“We will still keep our eyes open and are already having discussions with Christos and his agent to find a solution.
“We definitely want that [for him to stay].
“Of course, a few things have to come together but we haven’t given up on it yet.”
Tzolis is also keen to stay at Dusseldorf if they go up, but has two years left on his contract at Norwich and the Canaries will be in a strong position to dictate his future.
