RB Leipzig CEO Oliver Mintzlaff launched offers for the club’s top players this summer, opening the door for an outing for star defender Dayot Upamecano.
French defender Upamecano is perhaps the most coveted defender in the world right now, and it is understood that as of summer 2021 his release clause drops to £ 38million.
It may seem like a drop in the bucket compared to his value, but the clause was included in the new contract he signed ahead of this season that has helped Leipzig keep him amid considerable interest elsewhere on the continent . His deal was due to expire in 2021 and the extension has lifted the pressure to sell in the short term.
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2021 could be a very big year for Dayot Upamecano… pic.twitter.com/y6PsMvE0Rx
– 90min (at 90min_Football) January 2, 2021
A similar deal was struck with Timo Werner a year before his move to Chelsea, and they are becoming a regular and successful part of Leipzig’s transfer strategy.
And while Leipzig are in desperate need of a first Bundesliga title, sitting just two points behind leaders Bayern despite their 3-1 loss to Borussia Dortmund on Saturday, CEO Mintzlaff knows they’ll only get there if they don’t. they continue to do what has worked for them to this day.
Mintzlaff said, by MEN: “We have a team which is very large in terms of quality. So we will sell the best players again if it makes financial sense and we can deal with it from a sporting point of view.
“When I think of Timo Werner, Matheus Cunha, Naby Keita or Diego Demme, we have already made a lot of money and have made further progress in sport.
“Overall we have invested a lot in our team, no doubt about it. But look: the current squad had a market value of less than € 250million when the individual players made their debut.
“And if we now take the current market value, we are around 550 million euros. We must take into account this more than 300 million euros when we talk about investments. We create value with our path. ”
As for Upamecano, MailOnline Sport reports that Chelsea have joined the race to sign him as they contemplate the future of Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen and Fikayo Tomori.
The trio have played second fiddle against Thiago Silva and Kurt Zouma under Frank Lampard this season, and have all been linked with departures from Stamford Bridge at different times. Manchester United, meanwhile, have dampened their interest, while Liverpool see him too expensive to sign in January – although that may change this summer.
Bayern Munich are credited with the most substantial interest and could see him as an alternative to David Alaba, who looks set to go on a free transfer when his contract expires.
