The 18-year-old talent has been earmarked as a future star after enjoying a breakout season in the 2.Bundesliga. He turned heads after becoming Schalke’s youngest ever scorer as he netted on his professional debut in the very first game of the season against Hamburger SV.
Liverpool had been credited with an interest across the past season, among many other clubs, with Newcastle United, Frankfurt and Chelsea said to be pushing hard in the final hours before he signed a deal to join Leipzig. Christian Falk (SPORTBild) even revealed in the past week that Liverpool were among the chasing pack.
Florian Plettenburg confirmed the news on X, writing that Leipzig have triggered the £8m (€10m) and are set to sign him pending some final minor details. ‘Assan #Ouedraogo has decided to join RB Leipzig! Last details between the player’s camp, Leipzig and Schalke about a permanent deal of the 18 y/o top talent will be clarified now. Contract until 2029. RB will trigger the release clause of around €10m.
‘Currently, the plan is for Leipzig to keep Ouedraogo initially and assess him during the summer preparation. A decision about a loan-back to #S04 could be made late in the transfer window. Newcastle, Frankfurt, Chelsea and more teams were pushing for Ouedraogo in the last hours. But RB now close to finalize the deal.’
Fabrizio Romano reveals Everton ‘target’ close to joining Premier League club after stunning Juventus swap-deal
Fabrizio Romano reveals Everton ‘target’ close to joining Premier League club after stunning Juventus swap-deal
Across his first full season as a professional, he managed three goals and two assists in 18 games and starred with his unique profile. Standing 1.91m tall, he is a physically strong and adventurous midfielder who has shown a capability to play across multiple positions including in wide areas and in attacking midfield.
While he may be loaned back to the second-tier of German football to earn regular minutes, he will eventually get the chance to develop at Leipzig who have consistently allowed youngsters to shine. A move to Liverpool may also be a potential outcome as the Reds have enjoyed a strong business relationship with the club having signed Ibrahima Konate, Naby Keita and Dominik Szoboszlai over recent years.
