Harvey Elliott on the move? Leipzig target Liverpool talent as Xavi Simons replacement

RB Leipzig are interested in signing Liverpool talent Harvey Elliott, sources have told Transfermarkt. The Bundesliga club see Elliott as the perfect replacement for Xavi Simons, who is in talks with Chelsea and is gearing up for a move to the Premier League. Transfermarkt understands that Elliott has already had talks with Leipzig’s head coach, Ole Werner, and sporting director Marcel Schäfer, and is open to the move.

Why is Elliott willing to move on from Liverpool? The 22-year-old attacking midfielder wants to move on to another club to receive more playing time. Elliott is considered one of the biggest talents in English football, leading his country’s U21 to the European Championship title this spring. Elliott was voted the player of the tournament after scoring five goals in six games.

Elliott was originally signed by former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp from Fulham in a deal worth €1.7m in 2019. Klopp is now the head of global soccer at Red Bull but is not involved in the day-to-day operations at RB Leipzig. Indeed, Transfermarkt has been told that the current negotiations are led by sporting director Schäfer.

Harvey Elliott to Leipzig – More than a Xavi Simons replacement?

Why are Leipzig keen on signing Elliott? Although it isn’t necessarily obvious at first glance, Elliott’s profile actually compares well to Simons. Simons has scored 21 goals and provided 23 assists in 76 games across all competitions for RB Leipzig. The Dutchman also managed 22 goals and 11 assists in 48 games across all competitions for PSV Eindhoven. At first glance, there is a significant gap between Elliott and Simons in terms of output. But the Englishman has been productive when on the pitch, especially in the 2023/24 season, when he managed three goals and nine assists in 34 Premier League games.

That productivity had a bit of a downturn last season. Elliott, however, missed some time with a broken foot, playing just 360 minutes across 18 Premier League games. With that in mind, Elliott averaged 0.7 goal contributions per 90 minutes, which ranks just ahead of Simons’ 0.65 goal contributions per 90 minutes. Elliott also compares well in expected assists per 90 minutes (0.45 vs 0.26) and shot-creating actions (4.5 vs 4.0) to Simons.

With that in mind, it isn’t surprising that Leipzig are now targeting Elliott to replace Simons. What remains to be seen is the price. Elliott’s current market value is €30m. Leipzig are expected to receive around €70m for Simons once the deal is completed. The Simons’ transfer fee could very well determine the fee Liverpool expects from the negotiations, as they see Elliott as one of the elite talents in European football.