According to Kicker, Hoffenheim attacking midfielder Christoph Baumgartner is on the verge of completing a move to RB Leipzig.
The transfer fee for Baumgartner is said to be €24m which is lower than the €32m release clause that the Austrian reportedly has in his contract with Hoffenheim. The 23-year-old is not seen as a replacement for Dominik Szoboszlai, who could leave Leipzig in the summer, instead, Baumgartner is seen as an additional reinforcement.
Baumgartner played 33 times for Hoffenheim this season scoring seven and assisting seven as they escaped relegation after a turnaround under Pellegrino Matarazzo. The Austrian came up big in the run-in with important contributions in wins against Werder Bremen, Eintracht Frankfurt and relegation rivals Schalke.
The reported fee for Baumgartner would place him seventh in Hoffenheim’s most expensive departures between Nico Schulz and Niklas Süle.
For Leipzig, Baumgartner will be their third transfer of the summer as they have already wrapped up deals for Benjamin Seško and Nicolas Seiwald from Red Bull Salzburg.
GGFN | Jack Meenan
