Chelsea were briefly linked with Strasbourg’s Mohamed Simakan in the January transfer window, although the links never appeared to be all that concrete in the first place. And that short saga appears to be closed now, with multiple reports claiming that RB Leipzig have agreed a summer transfer for the centre back.
Leipzig had been at the forefront of the transfer all along, despite interest from the likes of Chelsea and AC Milan (who went on to sign Fikayo Tomori on loan instead), and will now get their man for €15m or thereabouts, with the contract signing due next week pending a medical examination.
Sky sources: RB Leipzig and Strasbourg have an agreement in place for a transfer of Mohamed Simakan in the summer. Fee will be above 15m€. Simakan is the replacement of Dayot Upamecano. If all goes well Simakan will sign his contract next week #DeadlineDay #TransferUpdate pic.twitter.com/sVIOOz8aOo
— Max Bielefeld (@Sky_MaxB) February 1, 2021
The 20-year-old defender has made 44 appearances in total for Strasbourg across all competitions, and is regarded as one of the best young defenders in Europe. He is currently out with an injury, but should return within the next month and a half.
Leipzig seems like a good destination for Simakan, since he still needs to develop further. But if he keeps doing so at the same rate as he has been, our paths may cross again one day. For now, this move is probably more significant from the point of view of Dayot Upamecano’s future, whom Simakan is expected to replace, and for whom Chelsea are expected to make a move.
Leipzig et Strasbourg ont trouvé un accord pour le transfert de Mohamed Simakan. Accord autour de 15 millions d’euros mais le transfert ne prendra effet que le 1e juillet prochain. Pas de prêt. Il reste encore la visite médicale #Mercato #RMCLive
— Loïc Tanzi (@Tanziloic) February 1, 2021