Leipzig strengthened its midfield options by signing Austria midfielder Xaver Schlager from Wolfsburg on Friday.
Leipzig took advantage of a release clause in Schlager's contract. The clubs didn't reveal how much Leipzig paid, but German media valued the deal at 12 million euros ($12.5 million).
Leipzig said it was planning for the long term by signing Schlager, who missed much of last season with a knee ligament injury that he sustained against Leipzig in August 2021. He has said the injury led him to wonder if he'd ever play again.
"We have always said that we are not planning any major upheaval this summer, but rather that we want to strengthen the team selectively,” Leipzig commercial director sport Christopher Vivell said in a statement.
"At the same time, we want to grow and improve as a club year upon year. Xaver is an important piece of the puzzle for the future to help us achieve that.”
Schlager previously appeared for another Red Bull-backed club in Austria, Salzburg, before moving to Wolfsburg, where he played 81 games over three years.
After losing key players and coach Julian Nagelsmann to Bayern Munich, Leipzig started last season slowly before replacing then-coach Jesse Marsch with Domenico Tedesco and recovering to qualify for the Champions League and win the German Cup.
