After two years at Bayer Leverkusen, Czech goalkeeper Matej Kovar (25) is moving to the Netherlands to play for Dutch champions PSV.
The Czech Republic international is only on loan in the Netherlands for the time being, but his contract includes an option for his new club to sign him permanently after a year. In order to activate it, the Eindhoven side must stay in the Eredivisie, which should be a mere formality for the reigning champions.
"I was enthusiastic about it from minute one, and I am convinced that this is the best environment to develop myself as a footballer and as a person," said Kovar. "I immediately feel comfortable and safe here."
Negotiations between the clubs took over two weeks, but PSV's interest never wavered as they sought to sign a second goalkeeper this summer following the arrival of Nick Olij.
"We are very happy with this transfer," said Director of Football Affairs Earnest Stewart.
"We have been following Matěj for a long time. With him we welcome a two-footed and reliable goalkeeper, who is also able to play football.
"Together with Nick Olij, he can now decide who will defend PSV's goal. As far as we are concerned, we have two top goalkeepers in our house."
Viktor Kolar, the head of the Sport Invest agency, is also satisfied with the transfer, which is said to cost PSV around five million euros: "We clearly wanted to resolve Matej's position during the summer break. Matej needs to feel confident and play on a regular basis. The goal was to find a quality club in a good European competition, ideally with the possibility of a cup confrontation. PSV is a great option in our eyes."
"The team is a quality, international one; the whole club presents itself in the most professional setting. The club's management, led by the experienced and successful head coach Peter Bosz, was very keen on Matej's arrival, and Matej himself is 100% ready for the new challenge," added the player's agent.
During his time in Leverkusen, Kovar was mainly a number two behind Lukas Hradecky. Moreover, the German club recently brought Mark Flekken from Brentford, so a transfer to another address was a priority.
The former Sparta Prague goalkeeper, with whom he won the Czech title in the 2022/23 season, has also had stints at Manchester United (without a competitive start), Swindon, Burton and Leverkusen, where he played 32 games in two seasons and kept 16 clean sheets.