Official and never in doubt! Bundesliga club land Roma midfielder
RB Leipzig have put an end to the noise: Moroccan midfielder Neil El Aynaoui is officially a Red Bulls player after leaving AS Roma.
Details: Fabrizio Romano confirms the signing is official and was never in doubt. The structure, agreed days earlier, is a €4 million loan fee with a €25 million buy option and a sell-on clause. Leipzig turned to El Aynaoui after their move for Barcelona's Marc Casadó collapsed.
The 25 year old, born in Nancy, only joined Roma from Lens in July 2025 for around €25 million on a contract until 2030, but one season in Serie A was enough for a new chapter. He made 25 league appearances and scored twice in 34 matches across all competitions, without becoming an undisputed starter under Gian Piero Gasperini. Roma are replacing him with Atalanta veteran Marten de Roon. For Leipzig, it is a second surprise of this window after the €17 million package for Marc Guiu, adding a Morocco international who started regularly at the World Cup and won the Africa Cup of Nations in 2025. At Lens he had exploded with 8 Ligue 1 goals in 23 matches in 2024/25, which is why Transfermarkt still values him at €23 million, almost matching the buy option.
It's worth noting that El Aynaoui is the son of former professional tennis player Younes El Aynaoui, and he arrives in Saxony as one of the most physically imposing central midfielders in the Bundesliga at 1.85m.
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Miguel Solomons
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