Dayot Upamecano was told to either sign a new contract with RB Leipzig or be sold this year.
Since joining Leipzig from Salzburg in 2017, the center-back has grown into one of Europe’s most sought-after defenders.
The 21-year-old has consistently impressed at the heart of the defense, though his form has tailed off since the restart of the Bundesliga season and he was sent off last Saturday in the 1-1 draw with Paderborn.
Upamecano, whose contract runs until June 2021, is said to have a €60million release clause which expires at the end of this month. Oliver Mintzlaff, Leipzig ‘s sporting director, made it clear that the club can not consider allowing the player to leave for a free transfer in 2021.
“Upa is an extremely important player for us in this position and one of the most sought-after talents in Europe. We can promise one thing: we have a very good agreement with him and his agent that we are not going to let him go for free. We can’t do that as a club. There are two choices, therefore: expand or adjust. I am completely confident that we will know fairly quickly in which direction we are going,” Mintzlaff told Bild.
Arsenal had an offer of €60 m for Upamecano turned down before the start of the season according to Bild.
Manchester United and Real Madrid were also linked to the player, who began his career with Valenciennes and spent a season in Austria with Liefering before transferring to Salzburg.
