Malian midfielder Amadou Haidara signs contract extension with Leipzig
He inks a one-year extension that will pay him over 73,000 euros per week.
LEIPZIG — Malian midfielder Amadou Haidara recently signed a contract that will keep him with RB Leipzig through June 2026. Experts project Haidara’s yearly salary to be upwards of 3.8 million euros.
The contract includes a release clause of 30 million euros. Sources linked Haidara to teams like Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray during the winter transfer, so the release clause could work to ward teams like them off.
“He is a very important link player for us: on the pitch in central midfield with his technical skills and dynamism; off the pitch as a leader for our young French-speaking players,” sporting director Rouven Schröder told club media. “He is developing more and more into a leading figure at RB Leipzig and we are relying on his qualities.”
Haidara spoke positively of the extension. “RB Leipzig is my second family and the last two years in particular have been very successful with the two cup wins and the success in the Supercup. In Marco Rose, I have an excellent coach who relies on me, develops me, and uses me in such a way that I can use my strengths. I’m just looking forward to everything that lies ahead of us here at the club.”
Haidara has been an irreplaceable part of Leipzig’s midfield since returning from an injury and AFCON. He plays a holding midfielder role in Rose’s 4-4-2, and he adds a lot of defensive stability that’s hard to find without having $70 million laying around. The Malian is, admittedly, still a raw talent. Although he isn’t exemplary with the ball at his feet, he’s one of the best defenders in the Bundesliga, if not in Europe.
Despite the title race being all but over with, Leipzig has a crucial stretch of nine games to compete with Dortmund for the fourth and last Champions League spot. Although Leipzig does not control its destiny — Dortmund leads Leipzig by four points — Haidara and Die Roten Bullen have a good chance of changing that.