Manchester United-linked Xavi Simons could reportedly be open to leaving RB Leipzig in the summer transfer window.
The 21-year-old spent 18 months on loan at Leipzig from Paris Saint-Germain before making his move to the Bundesliga club permanent in January for a reported €81m (£67m), including add-ons.
Simons has established himself as a star player for Leipzig, scoring 16 goals and registering 18 assists in 65 appearances across all competitions, with 10 goals and 14 assists recorded in 43 matches last season.
This term, Simons has struggled with an ankle injury that kept him sidelined for a couple of months, but the Netherlands international has still managed to chip in with six goals and four assists in 22 games for Leipzig.
After permanently joining Leipzig last month and extending his contract until 2027, Simons acknowledged that he feels "extremely at home" and is "honoured by the appreciation shown towards me by the club."
![Xavi Simons of RB Leipzig cheers after his goal against Rot Weiss Essen on August 17, 2024 [on August 22, 2024]](https://sm.imgix.net/24/34/xavi-simons.jpg?w=640&h=480&auto=compress,format&fit=clip "Xavi Simons of RB Leipzig cheers after his goal against Rot Weiss Essen on August 17, 2024 [on August 22, 2024]")
© Imago
Simons "open" to summer exit from Leipzig
However, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano claims that Simons is "quite open to trying something different", despite committing his future to Leipzig, and may be interested in a summer switch to the Premier League or La Liga.
Man United were linked with the versatile attacker last summer when Dutchman Erik ten Hag was in charge, while Arsenal, Liverpool and Bayern Munich have also been credited with an interest.
"I think that is a real concrete possibility [of a move] also in this case," Romano told GiveMeSport as quoted by the Manchester Evening News. "I can't say 100% because Leipzig invested big money to get him - something close to €80m, add-ons included to Paris Saint-Germain in January, so the investment was big.
"My information is that the player is quite open to trying something different. A lot of time in the Bundesliga, before that in the Eredivisie, now the feeling I have is the player could be open to trying something maybe Premier League or La Liga.
© Imago
"So, Xavi Simons is open to a summer move, then it depends on the financial package, it depends on Leipzig. Easy one? No, but I think there is a chance for it to happen and for Xavi to move.
"Last summer many clubs started calling for Xavi Simons, then he decided to re-join RB Leipzig. There was Bayern very strong in the mix until the very end, there was interest from England - Arsenal, Liverpool, United - so I think for Xavi in the summer there will be movement, definitely."
Could Simons leave Leipzig this summer?
The future of Simons may depend on whether Leipzig qualify for next season's Champions League, with Die Roten Bullen currently sitting sixth in the Bundesliga table and just one point behind Freiburg in fourth with 11 matches remaining.
Leipzig will be keen to keep hold of Simons having invested heavily in the attacker in January, while they will also want to avoid a number of other key departures this summer.
Indeed, Benjamin Sesko, Lois Openda and Castello Lukeba are three first-team stars who have recently been linked with an exit, the former of whom is said to be on Arsenal's shortlist of striker targets.
Oliver Thomas
