Who is Mohamed Simakan? The defender Leipzig beat Liverpool and Milan to sign

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 19 May 2021 15:43 BST
• 3 min read

On Monday, it was confirmed by RB Leipzig that they had secured the signature of Strasbourg defender Mohamed Simakan.

That the France Under-20 defender is heading to the Bundesliga comes as no surprise at all. From the end of the January transfer window, it had become an open secret that this was to be his future destination.

Now, though, he has signed a five-year deal, which becomes active as of July 1, and will make a transfer for a fee in the region of €17 million.

What position does Mohamed Simakan play in?

Simakan is primarily a defender, though he has turned out as a defensive central midfielder in the past.

He has featured for Strasbourg both as a centre-back and on the right of a back four. While he is accomplished and powerful going forward, his attributes lend to him becoming a modern central defender.

How good is Mohamed Simakan?

Simakan is regarded as the latest of a bright crop of promising young French central defenders that includes William Saliba, Wesley Fofana, Dayot Upamecano and Jules Kounde.

All of these players have graduated from Ligue 1 to bigger challenges and Simakan is simply the next to see if he can successfully make the step up.

Certainly, RB Leipzig are hopeful that he can.

“Mohamed Simakan is a robust, dynamic and versatile defender,” said sporting director Markus Krosche, summing the young player up nicely upon his unveiling with the club.

“He can play in central defence or at full back. At 20, Mohamed is still young and capable of developing. He has already had two seasons as a key player in Strasbourg, also picking up experience in the Europa League. We’re pleased that he has chosen to join us, despite interest from other clubs.”

Who wanted to sign Mohamed Simakan?

The most concrete link to Simakan in January came from Milan. Indeed, the centre-back appears to have come very close to joining the Serie A side, who have made an effort to invest in promising young players in recent times.

Liverpool, too, were linked with Simakan amid their central defensive injury crisis. The link is one that is understandable given his qualities would appear to lend themselves to a league that places a premium of physical qualities.

When does Mohamed Simakan’s contract expire?

Simakan has signed a five-year deal with RB Leipzig, which means he will not become a free agent until July 2026.

What is Mohamed SImakan’s Instagram?

Simakan’s Instagram account has 25.7k followers as of March 2021.

Who is Mohamed Simakan’s girlfriend?

Simakan is not currently dating anyone publicly.