Man United handed surprise green light to complete Xavi Simons transfer after £66m deal
Manchester United are one of the top teams in Europe that have been linked with a move for Xavi Simons in the last three years.
Ever since his loan move to PSV Eindhoven from Paris Saint-Germain, clubs have been keeping tabs on his development. Simons scored 22 goals and assisted another 12 in the Netherlands in the 2022/23 season before taking his game to a next level with RB Leipzig.
In his first loan in Germany, the attacking midfielder contributed to 25 goals and established himself as one of the Netherlands' most important players at last year's European Championships. This year he has continued to impress and Leipzig acted quickly in January to make the move permanent.
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Simons signed a contract until 2027 after Leipzig paid an initial fee of €50million with a potential €30m in add-ons. Should those add-ons be achieved, he would become the second most-expensive Bundesliga signing in history.
However, there are already reports that the 21-year-old could leave the club as soon as the summer transfer window opens. German journalist Christian Falk has reported that United are once again on the playmaker's radar alongside Liverpool and Manchester City.
Writing in his column for Caught Offside, he said: “It’s looking likely that Leipzig will sell Xavi Simons in the summer transfer window. It was a little bit surprising that Leipzig committed to a permanent deal with Simons.
“At the beginning, they didn’t think they’d get this chance, but they did it for €50m, which isn’t a lot for this kind of player. His contract, of course, isn’t that long, running just until 2027.
“So, you see, his stock is rising! Leipzig are thinking they have signed a player for €50m who has the potential to be an €80m player, so they could earn a lot of money on a potential sale. I’m sure there’s a gentleman’s agreement or a release clause, which would see Simons sold in the summer.
“Liverpool are interested, as are Manchester City and Manchester United. Xavi Simons won’t stay at Leipzig for his whole career – but everyone already knows that! Leipzig had the chance because PSG were happy to sell as they can’t loan so many players in Europe (they’re only allowed six).
“It’s great news for Leipzig, as they’ve brought in another high-quality player, and if he has to leave, they can now earn a lot of money. Good deal!”