Germany legend Lothar Matthaus has called Dayot Upamecano to stay at RB Leipzig to continue his development, meaning Manchester United and Arsenal may miss out on the star this summer.
The 21-year-old centre-back has attracted the attention of clubs from the Premier League and across Europe thanks to his impressive defensive performances in the Bundesliga.
Bayern Munich and Real Madrid are also swooping for the £50m-rated France U21 international and Manchester City are another suitor from England.
However, Matthaus - who won the Ballon d’Or and the World Cup with Germany in 1990 - believes Upamecano’s best move might be staying with Leipzig for “a year or two”.
“I can see him playing for all the big club when he gets more experience,” Matthaus told Sky Sports in Germany. “If he does leave, he needs to make sure his new coach or club gives him the confidence to play regularly - as he is doing at Leipzig.
“He's a young player, highly rated, fast, has a good positional game and uses his body well for a 21-year-old. But a year or two in Leipzig would not hurt him.
“Leipzig are a top team - one of the last eight remaining in the Champions League. I can still see one or two per cent where he can learn, but he's a huge player and that's why I'm not surprised that top clubs in Europe are after him.
“But you can't speculate much about change because you need to see how the [ coronavirus ] situation develops.”
Upamecano is currently contracted until the end of the 2020-21 season, but Leipzig may opt to sell this summer rather than lose their star on a free transfer next year.
However, the club is awaiting news of when the transfer window will open amid the uncertainty the coronavirus outbreak has caused across European football.
