Leipzig defender Upamecano pursued by Bayern

LEIPZIG, Germany (AP) — Bayern Munich is lining up Bundesliga rival Leipzig’s highly rated defender Dayot Upamecano as a possible reinforcement for next season.

Leipzig chief executive Oliver Mintzlaff told Sky TV on Saturday that he had spoken to Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge about the 22-year-old Frenchman, who is reportedly also a target for clubs like Liverpool, Chelsea and Real Madrid.

“I had a telephone call with him, and we left it that we’d speak again when it became more concrete,” Mintzlaff said after Leipzig’s 1-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen.

Bayern sporting director Hasan Salihamidžić earlier confirmed that the club had met with the player’s agents.

“We had very good, professional talks. Now we’ll have to see what happens,” Salihamidžić said before Bayern’s 4-1 win over Hoffenheim.

Upamecano joined Leipzig from sister club Salzburg in January 2017, and quickly went on to become one of the club’s leading players. He has started all but one of second-place Leipzig’s league games this season.

Upamecano’s contract with Leipzig runs to 2023, but Mintzlaff confirmed it has a release clause, reportedly set around 43 million euros ($52.2 million).

___

More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/Soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports