Marcel Sabitzer Might Join Milan – But There’s Competition

Austrian player Marcel Sabitzer is set to leave RB Leipzig as his contract expires next year. The German team has reportedly left it up to the 27-year-old midfielder to decide where he wants to continue playing this year, setting a friendly price for his transfer. Reportedly, there are several major teams interested in signing him, including Arsenal and Real Madrid, but the frontrunner seems to be Milan. Nothing is set in stone, though, as the player made it clear that he would prefer a club that will play in next year’s Champions League.

An impressive career

Sabitzer made his senior debut with Admira Wacker’s second team in 2010, then moved on to Rapid Wien in 2013. His time with the team was brief – a little longer than a season – before he moved on to his current team, RB Leipzig. There, he started his time with a season-long loan with Red Bull Salzburg. Upon returning to Leipzig, the player truly became an asset, a reliable goalscorer. One of his career highlights happened last year when he scored twice against Tottenham Hotspur, helping Leipzig achieve an aggregate victory of 4-0 and secure a place in the Champions League quarterfinals for the first time in the team’s history.
Among others, Sabitzer was named the Austrian Footballer of the Year in 2017, he scored the Bundesliga Goal of the Month this February, and was selected into the UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season last year.

Competition

There are a number of teams competing for the player as we speak, partly because of the reportedly “friendly” price tag attached to him: Bild.de claims that the player is allowed to leave Leipzig for as little as €17 million. Among the teams that would love to see him join their ranks, we find Italian sides Milan and Roma along with Premier League side Arsenal that is also considered likely to have a shot at signing him. Even more so, because Sabitzer has, in the past, expressed interest in playing with a Premier League side.
Speaking to SportBILD last year, Sabitzer said he’d be open to moving to England in the future, albeit at the time he was very content with playing in Leipzig. “It’s not my motivation to move there and build a money bin. I like playing for RB”, he said. But at the same time, he admitted that the atmosphere in England was inspiring for him. “The way the fans read the game and cheer shows that they understand football,” said Sabitzer. “A tackle is sometimes cheered, as is a diagonal ball. I like watching the Premier League, and I can imagine that it’s fun to play there.”

Player profile:

Player Summary
Name:
Marcel Sabitzer
Date of Birth:
Mar 17, 1994
Age:
30
Height:
1.77 m
Citizenship:
Austria
Position:
Midfielder
Foot:
Right
Agency:
None
Ownership:
None
Contract Expires:
N/A
Current Club:
RB Leipzig
Joined:
Jul 1, 2014