Mainz said goodbye to Daniel Batz, Maxim Leitsch, Niklas Tauer, and Armindo Sieb during their final home match of the season on Sunday. Yet, the omission of two key figures from that list hints that contract extension negotiations are moving in the right direction.
Captain Silvan Widmer and defender Stefan Bell are closing in on new agreements, while goalkeeper Batz—who is set to join Borussia Mönchengladbach—opted not to stay. The fact that the club entered talks with the pair only became public early last week.
According to reports from Kicker and Sky, both sets of discussions are in their final stages. “We are in very good conversations with great mutual appreciation,” Ingo Haspel, adviser to the 34-year-old center-back Bell, explained on Sunday.
Bell has been with Mainz since 2007, aside from loan stints at 1860 Munich and Eintracht Frankfurt. Widmer, meanwhile, has turned his fortunes around since Urs Fischer took over as head coach, becoming a vital part of the team at age 33. His form has made a new deal all but certain.