RB Leipzig's new star signing Johan Bakayoko said a conversation with Jürgen Klopp persuaded him to join the Bundesliga side, and with the transfer market still in full flow, Bakayoko said his in-demand teammate Xavi Simons is ignoring speculation over his future as they prepare to face Bayern Munich on Friday.
Bakayoko signed for RB Leipzig from PSV for a reported fee of €22 million ($25.68m) in July. The winger had been linked with a summer switch to the Premier League with both Everton and Nottingham Forest reportedly interested, but he opted to join Bundesliga side Leipzig. There he will line up on the right wing and will hope to be part of the starting team for their league opener at reigning champions Bayern on Friday evening.
For Bakayoko, he was aware of Leipzig's interest for the past 18 months but it was a conversation with Klopp -- Red Bull's head of global football -- which persuaded him to join the German side. "The impression he left with me was that this was the right project for me," Bakayoko said on Tuesday. "He said they'd make me better and they needed me.
"But the most funny part of it was we didn't even talk about him wanting me to come. It was really about football and what vision I have on football. And that was how I was thinking, like, OK, so there's a person who's not even pushing me, but just wants to talk to me. Like even if you go to some other clubs, then it's like "you have to do this" to adapt better.
"[But with Klopp] It was just a free talk where he wanted to see how I am as a person. So I was thinking like, OK, if someone like this talks to you in these kind of ways, and he wants to build a project and he wants you to be part of it, but isn't pushing you to be part of it, then it gives you the freedom to express yourself. And that's everything I need. That made me believe it was the right step."
Bakayoko left PSV on good terms, and was sad to leave manager Peter Bosz behind. But he said both knew it was the right time for him to take a step forward in his career. "Leipzig always wanted me, and for me, it was like, I saw it as an opportunity. It was difficult for me to leave PSV because they didn't want me to leave. But yeah, for me, it was my main choice for one and a half year. For the last two years I was linked to every single club in the world, but at the end, you just have to stay calm and see what's the best for you and the project for me was perfect."
There are plenty of familiar faces at Leipzig. There are his Belgium international teammates Loïs Openda, Arthur Vermeeren and Maarten Vandevoort while he also played with forward Simons at PSV in the 2022-23 season. Simons is linked with a €80m move to Chelsea but Bakayoko said his teammate is ignoring any outside noise regarding his future.
"I played with him also like two years ago, so I know him, I know him quite well. And also two years ago that was the same -- he was also linked to every single club in the world. Like me, like a lot of good players, when you're good, that's what happens. Sometimes you want to make moves, sometimes you cannot make moves, and it's just part of the game. You're just part of how football is.
"When you perform, you're linked to other clubs. Xavi is really professional. I think everyone knows this at this point. So in my eyes, he doesn't look like a player that's been linked to other clubs because he's just here in the same way, as if he's been here all his life.
"I try to put myself in this situation because I've also been there and it's not easy that everyone keep talking about you. But he just comes to training, and does his thing. I'm really happy just to have the opportunity even to play with him and to play with all these players here because you can also learn from each other. And that's really nice."
- Transfer rumors, news: Follow ESPN's daily live blog
- Sources: Atlético Madrid still interested in Juventus' González
Diaz reveals Wirtz talks before Bayern 'gamble'
For Bakayoko and Leipzig, their season starts on Friday with the hardest task possible: a trip to reigning champions Bayern Munich. "I just feel excited. I'm used to big games, let's say that, but here is a completely different environment for me. And playing against one of the biggest teams in Europe from the start, we can see what we built in the last month with the team, where we already are and where we need to be. It's a good test. So I really feel excited because I want to see how it's going to be and how the team will react."