Manchester United and Arsenal have been handed a major boost in their pursuit of in-demand centre-half Dayot Upamecano with RB Leipzig managing director Oliver Mintzlaff revealing top players will not leave for free.
The 21-year-old has emerged as one of the most promising talents in European football; the youngster has made 29 appearances for Leipzig this season, also helping the German outfit reach the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time.
While Leipzig have remained insistent they intend to extend the contract of their highly-rated defender, the coronavirus pandemic has had significant financial impacts in football, Mintzlaff revealing the club's "economic stability" now takes priority.
“In the Covid-19 crisis, we have other issues greater than concerns about contracts,” Mintzlaff told Sport1.
“We know the terms of our players' contracts and I know them very well - especially that of our top performers.
“For us, it is a no go that the top performers will be allowed to leave our club free of charge. That’s the case with Timo Werner and that will be the case with Dayot Upamecano. I have the economic stability of the club in mind.”
Upamecano will have just 12 months left on his contract come the end of the season and - should the Frenchman not agree to a contract extension - the likes of Arsenal and United will have real bargaining power in any potential deal.
