Brentford break their transfer record to sign Schade

German joins Bees on a permanent basis from Freiburg, signing a five-year contract after his loan spell.

Brentford have announced that Kevin Schade has joined the club permanently, becoming their record signing.

The 21-year-old initially joined Brentford on loan from Freiburg in January but has now signed a five-year contract. We have all been pleased with Kevin’s contribution so far, both on the pitch and his professionalism off it, so to have him with us now until 2028 is fantastic for the club, said Brentford's director of football Phil Giles.

We all hope both Kevin and Brentford can make further progress from here and look forward to the challenge. Schade made 18 Premier League appearances this season, with 11 of those coming as a substitute, and produced an assist in the 3-2 win over Fulham.  Schade becomes the club's second acquisition of the summer transfer window, with goalkeeper Mark Flekken being their first signing, also from Freiburg. 

Schade has been capped twice by Germany, making his debut for the national team in March this year, and he has been named in their squad for this summer's UEFA Under-21 European Championship. Brentford will find out who they will be facing first next season when the 2023/24 Premier League fixtures are released at 09:00 BST on 15 June. The season starts on the weekend of 12 August. The Bees' pre-season campaign will commence on 23 July when they take part in the Premier League's Summer Series tournament.