RB Leipzig are planning to raise approximately €113 million through player sales this summer as they look to trim a first-team squad that currently numbers 35 professionals. The Bundesliga side hope these exits will create space and generate the revenue required to strengthen the roster before the transfer window closes.
New head coach Martín Demichelis is managing the process personally. According to BILD, the Argentine will monitor 15 squad members during the opening weeks of pre-season. Demichelis told the publication: “I give each player four or five weeks to show what he can do. We still need time to assess whether a player stays or leaves.” This assessment period effectively gives fringe players until early August to secure their futures.
Specific names on the market
Conrad Harder has already been offered to other clubs, while Johan Bakayoko is reportedly being actively promoted by the coach himself. Both players arrived last summer but are yet to establish themselves as regular starters at the Red Bull Arena.
Defenders El Chadaille Bitshiabu and Castello Lukeba are also considered sellable assets. The club has additionally informed Lukas Klostermann, Eljif Elmas, Lutsharel Geertruida and Arthur Veermeeren that they are free to seek moves elsewhere.
Youngsters face uncertain futures
Several academy graduates and recent arrivals face a similar wait-and-see period. Ezechiel Banzuzi, Andrija Maksimovic and Viggo Gebel must impress Demichelis during the assessment window to secure their places in the senior set-up.
The €113 million target highlights the significant financial pressure on the Saxony-based club. With the new Bundesliga campaign approaching, Leipzig must offload players swiftly to ensure new signings can be registered and integrated into Demichelis’s system.