Bundesliga club RB Leipzig have clarified an important personnel matter shortly before the start of the European Championship and prevented the possible departure of striker Benjamin Sesko. The Slovenian international extended his contract, which was due to run until 2028, by one year, as the Saxons announced on Wednesday. According to dpa, the 21-year-old, who is said to be in the sights of several top international clubs, decided not to activate his exit clause of 65 million euros, which is still valid until the end of June. According to the media, his salary has increased significantly in return.
"Benjamin is one of our key players for the coming seasons and the extension is therefore a strong signal. It also underlines our ambition to play up front in the Bundesliga in the long term and to be one of the top clubs in Europe. With the new contract, we can continue to drive forward our squad planning in a forward-looking manner," said sporting director Rouven Schröder.
According to the media, English Premier League clubs FC Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool FC had their sights set on the technically strong and 1.95-metre tall attacker, as did league rivals Borussia Dortmund.
"Team, club, city, fans - the overall package remains simply outstanding for me. The early contract extension is therefore the logical step for me," said Sesko, who scored 18 goals and set up two goals in 42 games in his first season for RB: "I just really want to take the next steps with this team. But there's a lot more to come and that's now our common goal."
EM participant Sesko fought his way into a regular place at Leipzig in the second half of the season and scored 14 goals in a total of 31 Bundesliga games. Sesko will face England, Denmark and Serbia with Slovenia at the European Championships, which begin on Friday.
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