Mancester United given transfer encouragment as chairman admits exits are possible

RB Leipzig chief Oliver Mintzlaff has admitted they’ll always have to be open to selling young talent such as Yan Diomande, amid links to Manchester United.

Welt have an interview with Mintzlaff today in which the subject of selling players is put to him. He was specifically asked about the futures of Diomande and Assan Ouédraogo.

The pair have been performing superbly for Leipzig this season, playing key roles as Leipzig sit inside the top four, level on points with Bayer Leverkusen in third.

The German side appear to have found another pair of top talents. And, inevitably, they are now being linked with potential big money exits next summer.

Manchester United are one of the sides to have been linked with Diomande. Indeed, a report from Sky this week insisted they are interested in the Leipzig forward but face competition from Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain.

That report indicated that Manchester United could accelerate their interest in the winger after seemingly missing out on Antoine Semenyo. In fact, it was claimed they could move in January if others decide to try and sign him.

Any interested parties would have to convince Leipzig of the sale. But Mintzlaff admits they’re always open to a sale, albeit reluctantly.

“We want to ensure that we don’t just develop players for one year. But that we can also retain top talents for longer,” he said.

“We still see ourselves as a top club in the Bundesliga. And for young players like Ouédraogo or Diomande, it would be good to take the next steps with us and consistently perform at a high level.

“However, it will remain the case in the future that we will occasionally have to let players go. We still need to generate transfer fees and have players in our squad who are attractive to absolute top clubs.

“Generally speaking, you should never rule anything out in football. If there’s an exorbitant offer far above market value, and we are convinced that it’s a unique opportunity for a significant profit, then we have to be honest with ourselves, discuss it, and keep a cool head.”