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Top 5 Bundesliga stars who could be on the move soon

Ryan Baldi |

December 28, 2019

THE January transfer window is just around the corner and speculation has already turned to which Premier League clubs will be looking to strengthen their options mid-season.

Here, we’ve picked out five Bundesliga players who could attract interest from the English top flight.

 

Marcel Sabitzer

Still only 25 years old, versatile Austrian midfielder Marcel Sabitzer has been with RB Leipzig since 2014, first helping the Red Bull-owned club rise from the second tier and then playing a key role in RBL’s establishing themselves as contenders at the top end of the Bundesliga.

Sabitzer has seen colleagues – such as Naby Keita, Dayot Upamecano and Timo Werner – either sold to our courted by some of the biggest clubs in Europe, while he has remained largely overlooked.

Able to play on either wing or centrally as a No.8, Sabitzer can be ignored no longer, such is his form for Leipzig this season. With six Bundesliga goals already to his name this term, he is just two shy of his highest-ever single-season return, and his four assists puts him just one short of another career-high. Hard-working, a flawless technician and capable of spectacular goals from around the edge of the penalty area, there aren’t many Premier League sides Sabitzer would not improve.

Denis Zakaria

Several Premier League clubs will be on the hunt for a defensive midfielder when the transfer window reopens in January, and few young anchor men across Europe have impressed as much as Denis Zakaria this season.

Borussia Monchengladbach, under new coach Marco Rose, have been the Bundesliga’s surprise package this term, occupying top spot for much of the campaign to date. And while exciting forwards Breel Embolo, Marcus Thuram and Alassane Plea might have caught the eye more, Zakaria has been crucial to Gladbach’s rise.

The 23-year-old Swiss destroyer is disciplined in his work protecting the backline, reliable in possession – boasting a passing accuracy of 86 per cent – and, with two successful dribbles per game, able to play through pressure. He has even chipped in offensively, with two goals and an assist.

At 6ft 2ins, he is adequately equipped for the physical demands of his position and has been likened stylistically to Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira. And his 24 international caps mean he is experienced beyond his years.

With Gladbach battling for a first title since 1977, it would take a serious sum to prise Zakaria away from Borussia-Park. But considering his vast skill set, youth and sky-high potential, it’s easy to see why Manchester United and Tottenham are reportedly weighing up moves.

Philipp Max

As full-backs become increasingly key to a team’s attacking plan throughout the top end of the European game, with Liverpool’s assist masters Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson the most obvious examples, it’s a wonder no one has yet snapped up Philipp Max from Augsburg.

The German left-back has registered 18 Bundesliga assists in the last two and a half seasons and has even upped his goal-scoring output this term, with four goals in Augsburg’s last two games taking his tally for the campaign to six.

Likely available for a reasonable sum, set-piece specialist Max has the kind of pinpoint delivery from wide to make him a dangerous weapon in the Premier League.

Kevin Volland

Linked with a mid-season move to Arsenal, Volland will have been on the radar of many a European scout for several years now.

The 27-year-old striker was prolific for Germany at under-21 level, scoring 11 goals in 22 appearances, and stood out as a youngster at 1860 Munich and then Hoffenheim.

Now in his fourth season with Bayer Leverkusen, following an €18m move from Hoffenheim, Volland has scored five goals and registered six assists as he aims to build on back-to-back 14-goal Bundesliga campaigns in the previous two seasons.

Capable of playing wide if needed, Volland, without being lightning quick, is an unselfish facilitator in the final third and a confident finisher inside the penalty area.

With just 18 months remaining in his contract at the BayArena, the 10-cap German international is a realistic January target for any ambitious side wishing to improve their attacking options.

Jadon Sancho

It’s rare that the very best players on the Continent become available during the mid-season window, but his recent disciplinary issues at Borussia Dortmund have made Jadon Sancho’s future the subject of intense speculation.

The former Manchester City youngster has overcome a dip in form to become the first player in Europe’s five major leagues to notch double figures for both goals and assists this season and, still only 19 years old, he is already regarded as one of the world’s best wide men.

Valued at more than £100m, only a handful of clubs can afford to be in the running for Sancho should he become available in the new year, but his price tag doesn’t seem to have put off the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool – and well as Real Madrid and Barcelona in La Liga.

Already one of the most productive attackers in Europe, Sancho has the potential to become one of the very best players in the world in the eventual post-Messi-and-Ronaldo era. Spending big now on Sancho as good as guarantees a decade of elite-level attacking output.

 

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