You don’t have to be a football genius to know that high-quality players are hard to come by, so when one becomes available for as little as £ 17 million, any club would be angry not to throw their name in the hat.
Marcel Sabitzer has for several seasons competed with impressive performances in the Bundesliga and in Europe with RB Leipzig. It has been at the same level as in recent years, a lot of sides have already tried to entice the German club to differentiate themselves from their captain, even though their steep price has proved too high for any deal to be realized.
With just one year left on their current deal, reports have recently surfaced indicating that Leipzig are ready to earn their valuable asset – with a price tag of just £ 17 million placed on Sabitzer as the club looks to avoid the risk of losing him on a free next summer.
This one can really turn into one of the toughest battles over a player’s signature in recent times, and 90 minutes has been spent watching which clubs would desperately try to sign him …
Mikel Arteta is in desperate need of a midfield goal / Richard Heathcote / Getty Images
You would struggle to name a single decent player in world football that Arsenal should not try to sign right now.
There are not many areas in Mikel Arteta’s team that you can say with certainty that you do not need to strengthen this summer if they are to challenge at the top end of the Premier League again, but adding midfield creativity is an absolute must.
Arteta’s quest for Emi Buendia earlier this summer shows he is clearly aware that he can no longer rely on kid Emile Smith Rowe to carry the creative burden, and Sabitzer would be a brilliant addition to his squad.
Jose Mourinho is a longtime admirer of the RB Leipzig man / Fabio Rossi / Getty Images
Jose Mourinho is a longtime admirer of Sabitzer who has courted the Austrian during his time as Tottenham boss, so was not at all surprised to see the Portuguese tactician resume his interest in Roma.
Paulo Fonseca played decent football during his time as Roma manager, but the truth is that they did not score enough goals to achieve their season goal in the Champions League qualifiers.
Sabitzer would add both goals and assists in midfield and he would undoubtedly help them achieve their top four goal.
Nuno has a lot of work to do at Spurs / PAUL ELLIS / Getty Images
* Copy and paste from the Arsenal section above *
Well, maybe Tottenham are not suffering as badly as their north London rivals right now, but they are certainly not far away.
Since Dele Alli’s dip in form, one of the big reasons behind Spurs slipping into the Premier League has been their lack of goals and creativity from midfield.
Like Tanguy Ndombele and Giovani Lo Celso can both look really impressive at times, but still it never looks like threatening to hit double figures for the season.
With the future of Harry Kane up in the air, Spurs must start looking for goals from other areas on the pitch and Sabitzer would give them just that.
Simone Inzaghi has been appointed Inter-manager / Alessandro Sabattini / Getty Images
Inter did well to notch their first Serie A title since 2010 last season, but if they want to keep their crown as well as the challenge for European awards, summer reinforcement will be necessary.
Hakan Calhanoglu signing from rivals Milan is a big deal, but with Christian Eriksen’s future far from clear after his terrible health scare at Euro 2020, Inter must plan ahead.
It may seem strange to suggest that the sale of a right-back will massively affect a team’s attack production, but Achraf Hakimi’s departure will be a huge loss and Sabitzer’s quality in the last third can help ease the blow.
Rafael Benitez has the ability to attract top names to Everton / Chris Brunskill / Fantasista / Getty Images
You might mock the inclusion of Everton on this list, but with the money they have thrown around in recent seasons and Rafael Benitez, it is certainly not out of the question.
There’s not much more to say about Toffees other than that they need better players and Sabitzer is better than they currently have – simple as that really.
Marco Rose is the new head coach of Dortmund / Lars Baron / Getty Images
The impending departure of Jadon Sancho to Manchester United has not only left Borussia Dortmund with a much healthier bank balance, it has also taken away a lot of goals and assists from their side.
Sabitzer may not have really clocked the eye – watering numbers that Sancho has in the last three seasons, but he would be a solid replacement for the England international and he would also leave Dortmund with lots of money to improve the squad in other areas.
Jurgen Klopp’s front line needs reinforcement / Gareth Copley / Getty Images
Many have speculated whether Jurgen Klopp will replace Georginio Wijnaldum this summer or whether he will offer one of his existing squad members a chance to prove himself.
Given Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s injuries and the overwhelming Premier League form of Naby Keita, Klopp will probably want a new face through the door this summer – and Sabitzer can provide a nice balance in midfield along with the more defensive-minded Fabinho and Jordan Henderson.
Stefano Pioli needs additions to his group / Soccrates Images / Getty Images
With the aforementioned Hakan Calhanoglu making the dirty move and swapping Milan for Inter, Stefano Pioli will be looking for a new addition to his midfield’s arsenal.
The squad played a role in Milan’s poor second half of Serie A 2020/21, after looking on the right track to win an unlikely Scudetto. If they are to maintain a title challenge next season while juggling Champions League commitments, they must improve their squad instead of weakening it.
