RB Leipzig's 10 biggest sales of all time

27 Jun 2023 16:38 BST |
Updated: 6 Oct 2026 13:43 BST |
4 min read

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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 pluck talent from their sister clubs RB Salzburg and New York Red Bulls.

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 sales in RB Leipzig’s history.

10. Lois Openda – €42.75m (to Juventus, 2026)

After scoring an impressive 41 goals in 93 games for Leipzig, Lois Openda attracted major interest from Juventus in the summer of 2025.

So much so that the Serie A giants agreed to sign Openda on loan with a conditional obligation to buy for €42.75m in the summer of 2026.

And that option was triggered after Juventus mathematically secured a top-ten finish in Serie A in 2025-26 – despite Openda scoring just two goals for the club.

Openda was then loaned out to Lyon for the 2026-27 season – but not before Juventus handed over a significant amount of money to Leipzig.

9. 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 in 2019-20.

That form encouraged Chelsea to spend €53m on the German forward, but his performances failed to translate to the English game.

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

8. 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.

7. 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 in his final two years at Leipzig, leaving the club with a tally of 70 goals and 56 assists in 170 games.

However, the Frenchman struggled for form and fitness at Stamford Bridge and he was soon sold to AC Milan in the summer of 2025.

6. Dani Olmo – €61m (to Barcelona, 2024)

Dani Olmo is the sixth-biggest sale in RB Leipzig’s history.

The attacking midfielder spent four years at the club following his arrival from Dinamo Zagreb, tallying 148 appearances and scoring 29 goals.

After an impressive Euro 2024 with Spain, Barcelona pushed to sign their former academy star and completed a deal for an initial fee of €61m in August 2024.

5. Xavi Simons – €65m (to Tottenham, 2025)

After weeks of negotiations with Chelsea, Xavi Simons eventually joined their London rivals Tottenham Hotspur in a deal worth €65m in August 2025.

The Dutchman was integral for Leipzig, registering 46 goal contributions in 78 games, but they reluctantly sanctioned his sale ahead of the 2025-26 season.

Simons initially joined Leipzig on loan from Paris Saint-Germain, but the deal became permanent just six months prior to him joining Spurs for a €15m profit.

4. Dominik Szoboszlai – €70m (to Liverpool, 2023)

Dominik Szoboszlai burst onto the scene as a teenager at RB Salzburg and was rated as one of the best young 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 later proved to be a potent force.

Liverpool spent €70m to sign Szoboszlai in the summer of 2023, leaving Leipzig behind after registering 20 goals and 22 assists in just under 100 games.

3. Benjamin Sesko – €76.5m (to Man Utd, 2025)

Slovenia international Benjamin Sesko established himself as one of Europe’s most exciting young strikers after joining Leipzig from Salzburg in 2023.

After scoring 18 goals in his first season in Germany, Sesko was already being courted by the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United.

Sesko stayed with Leipzig for one more year before he eventually completed a big-money move to United in the summer of 2025.

2. Josko Gvardiol – €90m (to Man City, 2023)

Josko Gvardiol became the most expensive defender in football history when he joined Manchester 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 reached the semi-finals.

Leipzig managed to turn an impressive €50m-plus profit on Gvardiol in just two years, having signed from Croatian giants Dinamo Zagreb for less than €40m.

1. Yan Diomande – €125m (to Real Madrid, 2026)

After sparkling for Leipzig in 2025-26, winning the Bundesliga Rookie of the Season award, Yan Diomande had the pick of the clubs in summer of 2026.

However, after Real Madrid made their interest known, Diomande turned down the advances of Arsenal, Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain in favour of a move to Spain.

While Leipzig wanted to keep the winger for another season, the club raked in an incredible €100m profit on the €25m they paid Leganes for his signature in July 2025.

The 10 biggest RB Leipzig sales of all time

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Cameron Smith is a Digital Content Producer for FootballTransfers, having joined the team upon its inception in November 2020.

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