RB Leipzig Signs Dominik Szoboszlai From Salzburg

For a third time in two seasons, Salzburg is losing a top talent in the January transfer window.

A year after sending Erling Haaland to Borussia Dortmund and Takumi Minamino to Liverpool, Salzburg will be losing Hungarian attacking star Dominik Szoboszlai to fellow Red Bull property RB Leipzig, the clubs confirmed on Thursday. The move will become official once the transfer window opens on January 1.

Szoboszlai also follows in the footsteps of Hwang Hee-chan, who left Salzburg for Leipzig last summer. The 20-year-old was also reportedly courted by Arsenal and AC Milan but stayed in the Red Bull family in a move reportedly worth $30 million. Szoboszlai, who has four goals and seven assists in 11 matches for the Austrian Bundesliga leaders this season (and added two goals in the Champions League group stage), has signed a deal through 2025, upon the transfer. 

"We’re happy to have been able to sign Dominik Szoboszlai and pleased that he’ll be able to help us from January onwards," Leipzig sporting director Markus Krösche said in a statement. "From the beginning, the talks with Dominik and his agent were very positive, and we’re proud that Dominik chose RB Leipzig, as there were several offers from Europe’s top clubs on the table. That speaks a lot for our journey and ambitions. Dominik has extraordinary potential and can play in every position in midfield. With his ability to use both feet and his threat from distance and set pieces, he brings an incredible amount of skills that will enrich our football."

Szoboszlai's void at Salzburg will be filled, in part, by incoming American midfielder Brenden Aaronson, with the 20-year-old leaving the Philadelphia Union for Salzburg, where he'll link up with American manager Jesse Marsch beginning in January.

Salzburg, by virtue of its third-place finish in the Champions League group stage, will compete in the Europa League knockout phase. It drew Spain's Villarreal in the round of 32.

Szoboszlai is upgrading in that he'll be part of Leipzig's squad in the Champions League knockout stage. The 2019-20 semifinalist will face Liverpool in a tough round-of-16 test.