'Last hours' - £8m Newcastle United & Chelsea transfer claim as midfielder agrees five-year-deal

RB Leipzig have fought off strong competition to sign Schalke 04 prodigy Assan Ouedraogo in a deal worth around £8million.

The 18-year-old midfielder made 17 appearances for Schalke in Bundesliga 2 last season, registering three goals and two assists. Ouedraogo’s performances quickly attracted the interest of several European clubs and he has decided to stay in Germany, penning a five-year-deal at Leipzig.

"By signing Assan Ouedraogo, we were able to bring an absolutely exceptional talent to RB Leipzig,” said sporting director Rouven Schroder. “Despite several offers from other top clubs in the Bundesliga and Europe, Assan has chosen us and our path. This shows once again that RB Leipzig is a top address for young players with special qualities.

“We have been in contact with Assan for a long time, have made a lot of efforts to get him and are very happy that he is now wearing the RBL jersey. His skills are a perfect fit for our style of play and he can play in any position in midfield .

“Assan is intelligent, athletic and technically excellent. In addition, his dynamism also means he brings a lot of forward drive, so that he repeatedly initiates dangerous goal-scoring situations or scores goals himself. 

“Of course, he is still very young, but he has already gained experience in the 2nd Bundesliga and in over 20 U-international matches at international level. We will give him the time he needs to settle in and mature, but we can already look forward to a great young player with a lot of potential.”

Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg claimed on Wednesday that “Newcastle United, Frankfurt, Chelsea and more teams were pushing for Ouedraogo in the last hours”. And the Germany youth international has explained why he decided on Leipzig.

He said: "I am very happy to be part of RB Leipzig from July. It is of course a big step for me, but I am ready for this new challenge and look forward to everything that awaits me in Leipzig.

“I am coming to a club that is one of the best clubs in the Bundesliga , plays in the Champions League and has outstanding conditions and a clear philosophy. Many talented players have been able to mature into top players here in recent years and develop at the highest level. That is also my goal. 

“It was ten great years at FC Schalke 04. Everything I have learned in football so far, I learned at Schalke and I am very grateful for that time.

“Now I trust myself to take on the next exciting challenge - and the people in charge at RB Leipzig have shown me the best perspective in many good discussions. We have a lot planned together in the coming years. Now the most important thing for me is to arrive and show my performance on the pitch."