According to a WAZ report, third-division club Rot-Weiss Essen has Nurnberg's 26-year-old German defensive midfielder, Tom Baack, on its list to replace Tom Moustier, who is moving to the top Portuguese league. Essen was strongly interested in the Essen-born Baack before he joined Nurnberg in July 2025 and considered him an ideal solution. However, FCN-Sportvorstand Joti Chatzalexiou has firmly rejected a winter transfer. Chatzalexiou stated that Baack is a player who always puts in effort during training and has recently proven he can perform well in games. The club is also reluctant to lose another central midfielder after the recent departure of Pape Demba Diop, and Baack's chances for more playing time are now considered to have improved. This season, Baack has made 6 appearances in the 2. Bundesliga and has 8 caps for Germany's U20 team. His market value is estimated by Transfermarkt to be €400k.