Football
Stefan Buczko, Dortmund blogger 7y

RB Leipzig's Emil Forsberg hails 'fantastic' AC Milan amid transfer link

RB Leipzig midfielder Emil Forsberg has described AC Milan as "fantastic" amid transfer interest from several clubs, hinting that his time with the club could be coming to an end.

Sweden international Forsberg, 25, played a key role as Leipzig finished second in their debut Bundesliga season, securing Champions League qualification for the first time.

Earlier this month, his agent Hasan Cetinkaya confirmed the interest of clubs including Bayern Munich, Arsenal, Liverpool and Milan and said it could be time for him to "prove himself" at a bigger club.

And speaking to reporters while on international duty with Sweden, Forsberg said: "AC Milan are a fantastic club.

"They are an interesting project, making investments and wanting to take back the throne again."

Milan finished sixth in Serie A last season, qualifying for the Europa League, but Forsberg said: "It [playing in the Champions League] is not a major factor for me. In the end, it's only about football.

"I had a fantastic time in Leipzig, and my agent will take care of everything else."

But Leipzig sporting director Ralf Rangnick told Bild: "We're not thinking about selling any integral player this summer."

He called Cetinkaya's remarks "a Christmas wish in summer" and added: "We've adjusted Emil's contract twice -- you cannot extend a deal beyond 2022 at the moment."

Reports in Germany have said Leipzig intend to add six new players overall in the summer but cannot have a deficit higher than an estimated €40 million to stay in line with FIFA's financial fair play regulations.

Leipzig blogger Matthias Kiessling told ESPN FC: "The limit for Leipzig's spending in the transfer market is estimated at somewhere between €40m and €45m.

"That's all that is possible with the club's budget, also because they are still ranked 18th in the Bundesliga in TV revenue and because the running costs for the squad will increase about 50 percent."

As a consequence, Sport Bild reported, Leipzig missed out on Maximilian Philipp, who joined Borussia Dortmund for €20 million this summer.

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