Official | RB Leipzig flop Eljif Elmas returns to Napoli on loan with €16.5m purchase option

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RB Leipzig have finally finalized a loan deal to send transfer flop Eljif Elmas back to his former Serie A side. Elmas will be rejoining Napoli on loan this year. Transfermarkt reports that club at which Elmas spent five seasons has paid Elmas’ Bundesliga parent club a €2m loan fee as part of the deal. A €16.5m purchase option has been agreed upon, 

Elmas just returned to the German Red Bulls from a Serie A loan stint with Torino. I Granata were pleased with the North Macedonian’s performance, but allowed an €18m purchase option to lapse. Torino attempted to negotiate another loan deal for Elmas this summer until Napoli stepped in.

The 25-year-old remains under contract with Leipzig until 2028. The Saxons desperately hope to recoup some portion of the €24m they shelled out to acquire Elmas in the January 2024 transfer window. Elmas has made just 16 Bundesliga appearances and seen his estimated market worth drop to €14m

“In discussions with Eljif, we jointly decided that a return to SSC Napoli is the right step for his personal and sporting development,” RB sporting director Marcel Schäfer noted in a club statement. “Eljif has always worked with great professionalism in Leipzig and has given his all in every training session. He knows the environment in Naples very well and can contribute his qualities at the highest level.“

GGFN | Peter Weis