RB Leipzig Signs Burnley Player Esteve

Bundesliga club RB Leipzig has signed Maxime Esteve. The French center back, who came from Premier League relegated side FC Burnley, signed a contract with the Saxon club through the summer of 2031. According to reports, the total financial package for the 24-year-old left-footed player is said to be up to 30 million euros. It is also the first transfer to be approved by new head coach Martin Demichelis. 

“He brings a lot of what we’ve been looking for in this position: height, athleticism, a strong left foot, courage in building up play, and the ability to actively defend moving forward. Maxime has an attacking mindset, is strong in one-on-one situations, communicates well, and brings a lot of energy to the field,” said sporting director Marcel Schäfer about Esteve, who has been in Leipzig for a few days and has already passed the mandatory medical exam. 

In the spring of 2024, the 1.93-meter-tall defender was initially loaned from his home club Montpellier to Burnley. The English club signed the speedy professional and gave him a contract running through the summer of 2030.

Surplus in Defense

RB has generally had good experiences with French defenders so far. Ibrahima Konaté, who just transferred to Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich’s Dayot Upamecano are just a few examples. At the moment, however, the Saxons have two French center backs on their roster: Castello Lukeba and El Chadaille Bitshiabu. This creates a surplus. One of the two players will likely have to leave.