Man Utd, Liverpool alerted as Leipzig confirm they ‘will sell top performers’

Dayot Upamecano RB Leipzig

RB Leipzig are open to the possibility of selling the likes of Dayot Upamecano, with Manchester United and Liverpool both linked.

The German club are now established among the elite of the Bundesliga and sit second behind Bayern Munich in the standings. It seems a well-run club, with players sold on for a profit to keep the finances moving.

Manager Julian Nagelsmann coped with the summer loss of star striker Timo Werner, who joined Chelsea for £47.5 million. Upamecano could well be the next man out, with CEO Oliver Mintzlaff explaining his position on transfers.

“We have a squad that is very broad in terms of quality,” he told SportBild. “So we will sell top performers again if it makes financial sense and we can cope with it from a sporting point of view.

“When I think of Werner, [Matheus] Cunha, [Naby] Keita or [Diego] Demme, we’ve already made a lot of money and still made progress in terms of the sporting side.”

It has previously been reported that Upamecano, 22, is ‘desperate’ to play in the Premier League. United and Liverpool are both thought to be keen while Arsenal have also been mentioned in connection with the defender.

The Red Devils are likely to wait until the summer, according to Goal. It was thought that Liverpool might test the water this month.

But manager Jurgen Klopp has since made it clear he will not buy a new centre-half in January. Therefore it may well be a huge scramble for his signature in the summer, with other clubs keen.

Upamecano is under contract at Leipzig until 2023. He has a €42 million release clause that will become active in the summer.

Mintzlaff added that Leipzig are “creating value with our path”. He feels the squad value has risen from €250 million to around €550 million since the players made their debuts.

Premier League switch likely

Dayot Upamecano TEAMtalk

Upamecano continues to hint that his next move will be to England. Back in September 2020, he confessed to having opened dialogue with interested parties.

“For the moment I am with Leipzig but it is true that I was able to talk with certain clubs,” he told Telefoot.

“As I said, for now, I am focused on Leipzig and I will continue to play for Leipzig. And then we’ll see. You never know what can happen in a football season.”

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