RB Leipzig's 10 biggest sales of all time

Cameron Smith

• Updated: 29 Sept 2024 13:35 BST
• 5 min read

RB Leipzig were only founded in 2009 and their ascent to the top of German football has been impressive, to say the least, even if they have angered many football fans across the country.

As part of the Red Bull empire, Leipzig have access to a dense, worldwide scouting network as well as the ability to just pluck talent from foreign RB teams like Salzburg and New York.

This means that even though Leipzig are extremely young in football terms, they have already raked in some ridiculous sums from player sales.

Below, FootballTransfers lists the 10 most expensive RB Leipzig sales of all time.

10. Jean-Kevin Augustin - €21m (to Leeds, 2020)

Jean-Kevin Augustin is the second Leeds signing on this list and is a player who will live long in the minds of the club's fans although not for positive reasons.

The Frenchman initially joined the then-Championship club on loan with an obligation to buy should they get promoted, which they did.

Leeds, however, refused to honour the clause, claiming the COVID-19 pandemic had nullified it because the schedule had changed and the club achieved promotion after the date specified in the contract.

Long story short, they were ultimately ordered to pay €21m for a player who had only made three appearances, while Augustin ended up signing for Nantes as a free agent.

9. Ibrahima Konate - €40m (to Liverpool, 2021)

RB Leipzig's seventh-biggest sale of all time is Ibrahima Konate. The Frenchman joined Leipzig as a youngster in 2017 and he slowly progressed before becoming a regular in the first team.

By 2021, he had built up a solid reputation as one of Europe's best defenders, prompting Liverpool to shell out €40m to sign him.

Konate left Leipzig having made 95 appearances for the club.

8. Dayot Upamecano - €42.5m (to Bayern, 2021)

Konate's centre-back partner, Dayot Upamecano, also departed Leipzig in the summer of 2021, but he followed Julian Nagelsmann and Marcel Sabitzer to Bayern in a deal worth €42m.

Upamecano broke into the French national team during his time at Leipzig and established himself as a key member of Didier Deschamps' side after joining Bayern. He even played the full 120 minutes of the 2022 World Cup final loss to Argentina.

He was linked with a move to several other top European clubs before agreeing to join Bayern in 2021.

7. Mohamed Simakan - €45m (to Al-Nassr, 2024)

Mohamed Simakan joined from Strasbourg in 2021 and proved to be worth every penny of the €15m they paid.

The Frenchman racked up 122 appearances for RB Leipzig in all competitions, netting seven goals along the way.

Simakan offered the Bundesliga outfit a degree of versatility in the backline, being able to play both at centre-back and at right-back. He made the surprising decision to join Al-Nassr in 2024 after a hefty offer came in.

6. Timo Werner - €53m (to Chelsea, 2020)

Timo Werner was one of the hottest prospects in world football in 2020, after he netted 34 goals and provided 13 assists for Leipzig during the 2019-20 season.

That form prompted Chelsea to part with €53m to sign the German forward, but his performances failed to translate to the English game.

He did help the Blues win the Champions League during his debut campaign, but Werner ultimately disappointed at Stamford Bridge and returned to Leipzig for just €20m in 2022.

5. Dani Olmo - €55m (to Barcelona, 2024)

Dani Olmo is the fifth-biggest sale in RB Leipzig's history. The Spaniard spent four years at the club following his arrival from Dinamo Zagreb and he tallied 148 appearances for Leipzig, scoring 29 goals in all competitions.

After an impressive Euro 2024, Barcelona pushed to sign their former academy star and completed a deal for an initial fee of €55m.

4. Christopher Nkunku - €60m (to Chelsea, 2023)

Despite the unsuccessful nature of Werner's transfer, Chelsea decided to return to RB Leipzig in 2023, spending €60m to sign Christopher Nkunku.

Nkunku had arguably been the Bundesliga's best performer during his final two years at Leipzig and he left the club with a tally of 70 goals and 56 assists in 170 games.

3. Naby Keita - €60m (to Liverpool, 2018)

Naby Keita is another player who arrived in England with a big reputation, but ultimately didn't have the desired impact.

He joined Liverpool for €60m in 2018, but injuries and a lack of form meant that the Guinea international spent more time on the sidelines than in Jurgen Klopp's team.

Having excelled during his time at Leipzig, Keita was seen as the perfect player to elevate Liverpool's midfield to the next level, but he was unable to live up to expectations and he left the club to join Werder Bremen on a free transfer in 2023.

2. Dominik Szoboszlai - €70m (to Liverpool, 2023)

Dominik Szoboszlai burst onto the scene as a teenager at Red Bull Salzburg and was rated as one of the best teenage talents in world football.

After a serious injury, it took him a while to find his best form following a move to Leipzig in 2021, but the Hungarian soon proved himself to be a potent attacking midfielder in the Bundesliga.

Liverpool decided to spend €70m to sign him in 2023 and he left Leipzig with 20 goals and 22 assists in just under 100 games.

1. Josko Gvardiol - €90m (to Man City, 2023)

Josko Gvardiol became the most expensive defender in football history when he joined Man City from Leipzig for €90m in the summer of 2023.

Gvardiol had emerged as arguably the best young defender on the planet in the previous year and was one of the stars at the 2022 World Cup as Croatia made it all the way to the semi-finals.

Leipzig managed to turn an impressive profit of over €50m on Gvardiol in just two years, having signed him for less than €40m from Dinamo Zagreb.

The 10 biggest RB Leipzig sales of all time