RB Leipzig rule out selling Forsberg

RB Leipzig director of football Ralf Rangnick has ruled out selling Emil Forsberg before next season.

The 25-year-old finished top of the Bundesliga assists chart with 19 in 2016-17 and also scored eight goals to help the club to a stunning second-place finish behind champions Bayern Munich.

Forsberg’s form has led to speculation linking him with a number of clubs, including Liverpool, AC Milan and, most recently, Bayern and Arsenal.

The Sweden midfielder’s agent recently said it is “time to test himself at one of the big clubs”, prompting further talk of a move, but Rangnick is adamant the team will not allow one of their best players to leave.

“We’re not thinking about selling our best players this summer. There’s no red line for us. We will keep our team and improve it in several positions,” he was quoted as saying by Bild.

When asked about the comments from Forsberg’s agent, he replied: “Those are Christmas wishes in the summer. We have amended Emil’s contract twice and we cannot do more than what we have done: giving him a contract that runs until 2022.”

Forsberg signed for Leipzig from Malmo in 2015.