Anyone who asks around in Leipzig these days and also asks how the Managing Director Sport Max Eberl and his team are doing, will hear hymns of praise. “You can believe me that the boys are doing a really good job,” said coach Marco Rose at the beginning of the week. He gave a quasi-official character to the descriptions that had previously been heard in Leipzig. Eberl, it is said, is screwing and hammering on the new squad as if there were no tomorrow, and in this case that means: As if there weren’t rumors about FC Bayern’s interest in poaching the manager who was installed in Leipzig just over half a year ago and to replace the ousted Hasan Salihamidzic – if necessary only in winter. Eberl’s eagerness to work is possibly an indication that another rumor that is currently circulating could be correct. It is that he will stand up to courtship.
To it, that he is working to fill the many gaps in the squad that have opened up at Leipzig, there’s no doubt. Since Thursday it has been clear that Eberl has solved what is probably the most difficult task of the summer after the difficult contract extension of midfielder Dani Olmo: to compensate for the departure of striker Christopher Nkunku to Chelsea. Leipzig have agreed with RC Lens on the transfer of 23-year-old Belgian Lois Openda – for a fee of more than 40 million euros.
The agreement had been reached in principle days ago. But in Lens it was obviously not well received that the table football had already reported completion on Wednesday evening and announced that Openda would travel to Leipzig for a medical check-up on Friday. You could see the anger about it in the newspaper L’Equipe read between the lines on Thursday that Lens insisted on a transfer fee of 50 million euros. Reported on Thursday evening L’Equipe in its online edition that Leipzig had agreed to pay a base fee of 43 million euros – and to add six million in performance-related bonuses. Such a volume was contested by Leipzig. In any case, it can be taken for granted that Openda is Leipzig’s record purchase and wanted to go to Saxony, which was also due to Max Eberl’s persuasion, as can be heard in the Openda environment.
Either way: The Openda/Lens example shows that RB Leipzig has to deal with business partners who, when in doubt, are currently raising prices – mainly because RB is making headlines with high income. The German cup winners are vying with London’s Chelsea clearance salesmen for the fictional title of summer transfer window earnings champion. Although Konrad Laimer, one of the key players in recent years, switched to FC Bayern Munich on a free transfer.
Should Gvardiol go, Leipzig would earn more than 200 million euros in one season through player transfers
The industry service is currently writing transfer market Leipzig received more than 133.5 million euros, while offensive players Christopher Nkunku (Chelsea FC) and Dominik Szoboszlai (Liverpool FC) received 60 and 70 million euros, respectively. In addition, there are 3.5 million euros for the goalkeeper Josep Martínez (FC Genoa) and a leasing fee for the Spanish left-back Angeliño (Galatasaray), who was last loaned to Hoffenheim. And it is also considered likely that central defender Josko Gvardiol will leave the club for Manchester City. The English triple winner should tend to be indifferent whether he pays 100 million euros and a few crushed ones this summer or the transfer fee of 110 million set for 2024 next summer.
If Gvardiol were to leave, Leipzig would become the second German club to earn more than €200 million in player transfers in a single season – behind Borussia Dortmund, who took in around €270 million in the 2017/18 season. Back then, BVB managed to get 135 million euros for Ousmane Dembélé from FC Barcelona alone. At the time, Barcelona were in the tricky position of having collected 222 million euros for Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain) alone and having to replace him well-known, in addition to Dembélé there was also the mega-flop Coutinho, for which Liverpool FC also called a moon price that Barcelona served. To become an example of how ruinously money can be squandered.
The fact that Max Eberl is perceived as a manager with pockets full of money could already be seen in the negotiations about the transfers of central defenders Castello Lukeba (Olympique Lyon) and Lutsharel Gertruida (Feyenoord Rotterdam). The question of whether or not a price tag of around 50 million euros for Openda is above market value is hotly debated in the industry – simply because RC Lens “only” had to put eleven million euros on the table a year ago to get Openda at the Dutch first division club Vitesse Arnhem to tear away. In terms of his age, he always corresponds to the proven acquisition pattern of Leipzig: He is considered young and capable of development.
The additions of the tall center forward Benjamin Sesko (25 million euros/20 years) and midfielder Nicolas Seiwald (20 million euros/22 years) were bagged weeks ago, both of whom have previously played for RB relatives in Salzburg. Sesko has scored 18 goals in 41 games in Austria and is expected to help Nkunku forget up front. Seiwald is considered the designated Laimer replacement.
In addition, Fábio Carvalho was loaned to Liverpool FC, Jürgen Klopp’s club is so convinced of the creative Portuguese that he refused to sell. Carvalho decided not to take part in the U21 European Championship in order to secure a place in Leipzig. The chances have increased due to the rather unexpected departure of Dominik Szoboszlai.
Christoph Baumgartner moves from Hoffenheim to Leipzig midfield (24 million euros/23 years). And on the home straight is the signing of El Chadaille Bitshiabu. The 18-year-old centre-back from Paris Saint-Germain’s youth team is set to cost €15m. Eberl is also on the right track with another personality. Because coach Marco Rose should soon extend his contract beyond 2024 – with improved salaries.