Fisnik Asllani’s transfer to RB Leipzig, which had seemed all but certain, has surprisingly fallen through. Medical concerns led the Saxon club to pull the plug shortly before the deal was finalized. As a result, the Hoffenheim forward’s future is once again completely up in the air. In the past, FC Bayern had also been linked to the 24-year-old.
Everything seemed to be settled for Asllani. RB Leipzig wanted to sign the forward and was prepared to activate his €25 million buyout clause. The striker had already traveled to Salzburg for a medical exam.
But there was a surprising turn of events. As reported by BILD, Leipzig identified “long-term medical concerns” and decided against the transfer.
TSG Hoffenheim subsequently confirmed the collapse of the deal officially: “The transfer will not go through due to medical concerns raised by RB Leipzig.”
Hoffenheim strongly disputes Leipzig’s claims
It is noteworthy that Hoffenheim apparently does not share Leipzig’s assessment. Managing Director Andreas Schicker made it clear: “Fisnik can perform at the highest level both physically and athletically.”
Asllani is therefore expected to rejoin TSG’s team training as early as next week. Whether he will actually remain in Hoffenheim, however, remains to be seen.
With 11 goals and 10 assists in 35 competitive matches, the forward proved himself ready for bigger challenges last season. Following the collapse of the Leipzig deal, Borussia Dortmund, among others, could now enter the fray.
Bayern had Asllani on their radar as a backup for Kane
Asllani has also been a topic of discussion at FC Bayern. The Munich club is said to have considered the striker in the past as a potential backup for Harry Kane.
According to BILD, Bayern are continuing to scout the transfer market in search of a striker. However, it seems unlikely that the record champions will make a new push now that the Leipzig transfer has fallen through. With Nathaniel Brown and Ismael Saibari, Bayern have already invested around 100 million euros in new players. No further costly signings are currently planned.
In addition, Saibari can also be deployed as a center forward if needed, thanks to his offensive versatility. Furthermore, the Munich club has a promising young talent in Bastian Assomo up their sleeve.
While this means Asllani is back on the market and is, in principle, an interesting player, there is currently little to suggest that the collapsed Leipzig transfer will cause Bayern Munich to reconsider its position.