Admin I Sunday, Jan. 05, 2024
MANCHESTER – RB Leipzig hope to hang on to star playmaker Dani Olmo and are looking forward to extra riches from next season’s extended Champions League, the Bundesliga side’s managing director said on Friday.
Leipzig lost top striker Christopher Nkunku to Chelsea and defender Josko Gvardiol to Manchester City in the close season but say there are no plans to sell Spain’s Olmo this year.
“Transfer income is important to us and will remain important for us in the future. But there certainly won’t be another upheaval in the summer on the same scale as 2023,” Johann Plenge told reporters at the club’s mid-season training camp in Spain.
“There is no compulsion to sell Olmo. He is very highly regarded here and is one of the players who makes a difference. He has a contract with us. We value him and he has earned it.”
The 25-year-old, whose deal runs until 2027, has recovered from injury and hopes to be fit when the Bundesliga resumes against Eintracht Frankfurt on January 13.
Leipzig are through to the Champions League last 16 in February and while they are happy to cash in now, Plenge knows succeeding in next year’s revamped tournament will be even more lucrative.
The group stage will be abolished and replaced with a league phase involving 36 clubs. Each club will then have four home and away matches against eight different opponents. The top eight teams will qualify directly for the round of 16, with play-offs for teams ninth to 24th for the remaining spots.
“It’s an exciting new format and also highly attractive commercially,” Plenge, 38, said.
“We are expecting a 10 to 12% increase in revenue from the Champions League.”
Leipzig currently sit in fourth in the German top flight and would qualify for the extended format.
