Three in one day.
Leipzig has delivered a statement of intent for the new Bundesliga season by signing Belgium winger Johan Bakayoko, Serbia midfielder Andrija Maksimovic, and Ivory Coast youth international Yan Diomande all on the same day.
The 22-year-old Bakayoko's arrival from PSV Eindhoven was the last of the three announced by Leipzig on Wednesday, following that of the 18-year-old Maksimovic from Red Star Belgrade and Diomande, also 18, from Spanish second-division team Leganés.
All three players signed deals through June 2030, the Bundesliga club said.
Bakayoko, who had also been a target for Bayer Leverkusen, will wear the number 9 at Leipzig.
“We have had Johan Bakayoko on our radar for a couple of years now and have tried to sign him time and again,” Leipzig sporting director Marcel Schafer said. “We’re even happier that he’s chosen to join Leipzig despite many teams vying for his signature.”
Bakayoko helped PSV to back-to-back Dutch league titles with nine goals in 30 league appearances last season, and 12 in 33 the season before.
“With his power, explosiveness, pace and eye for goal, he’ll improve our play down the right wing and has his strengths both on and off the ball,” Schafer said.
Maksimovic made his professional debut aged 16 in Serbia, then Champions League debut and Serbia debut a year later. He has already played eight games for the national team.
“We’ve followed his progress closely during his first season at senior level and are convinced he’s already ready to take the next step,” Schafer said of Maksimovic.
Diomande spent just one season at Leganes after moving from Florida-based club AS Frenzi. He made his league debut against Real Madrid and scored two goals in 10 La Liga appearances for Leganes, which was relegated at the end of the season.
“He’s a left winger with outstanding pace, strong dribbling, athleticism and a real eye for goal. On top of that, he never gives up on a ball and plays with great team spirit. With these qualities, he fits perfectly into the type of football we want to play this season,” Schafer said.
Leipzig missed out on European qualification last season and will be targeting a top-4 finish in the Bundesliga to reach the lucrative Champions League.
Yussuf Poulsen, who joined Leipzig when it was still in Germany’s third division in 2013, has left for promoted Hamburger SV. Other players, including Benjamin Sesko and Lois Openda, are also candidates to leave.
Leipzig was founded in 2009 when energy drinks manufacturer Red Bull bought and rebranded fifth-tier club SSV Markranstadt and financed its rise through the lower divisions.
