assan-ouedraogo
Manchester United and Chelsea are keeping tabs on highly rated RB Leipzig midfielder Assan Ouedraogo over a possible move to the Premier League, according to Florian Plettenberg.
The midfield ace came through the ranks at Schalke’s academy, where his performances for Die Königsblauen caught the eye of several clubs before Leipzig won the race to sign him in January 2024.
Ouedraogo’s first season at Leipzig was heavily disrupted by injuries, limiting the 19-year-old to just three Bundesliga cameos and a single German Cup outing across two separate setbacks.
Now fully fit in the ongoing 2025/26 campaign, the German starlet has come alive for Leipzig, producing six goal contributions in his last eight Bundesliga appearances.
He has also begun making his mark on the international stage, scoring on his senior Germany debut — becoming the youngest player to do so since Klaus Stürmer in October 1954.
Following Sunday’s 2–0 win over Werder Bremen, where Ouedraogo found the net once again, Leipzig manager Ole Werner described him as an ‘unbelievable talent’, highlighting exactly why several top clubs are now circling for his signature.
According to Plettenberg, Premier League clubs are crazy about signing the German international midfielder ahead of next summer’s transfer window.
Among the clubs looking to sign him, the journalist claims that Man Utd and Chelsea are closely monitoring the 19-year-old midfielder over a possible transfer to England next summer.
Battle
While Ouedraogo still has four years left on his deal at the Red Bull Arena, there’s no release clause in his contract, according to the report. However, as with most of their player sales, Leipzig will likely demand a substantial sum to sanction his departure.
Chelsea are renowned for poaching some of the best young prospects across Europe, and it’s no surprise they’ve expressed interest in Ouedraogo, who has been one of the standout midfielders in the Bundesliga this season.
However, with seven months left until the 2026 FIFA World Cup commences in America, regular playing time would be the German midfielder’s priority, which could hand United a slight advantage as they need to carry out an overhaul with Casemiro, Kobbie Mainoo and Manuel Ugarte all facing uncertain futures at the club.
Having already signed Benjamin Sesko from Leipzig in the summer, United could build on their relationship with the German club to negotiate a deal for the midfielder, who will most certainly cost way more than his £8m Transfermarkt valuation.