RB Leipzig chief reflects on uncertain futures of duo with expiring contracts

With just over half a year remaining on his RB Leipzig contract, Xaver Schlager's future at the club is up in the air.

Asked about the Austrian international’s situation on Monday, RB Leipzig managing director for sport Marcel Schäfer made it clear that he is keen to reach clarity before the end of January.

"Of course, I’ve already had talks with him. I believe it’s fundamentally always important, at a certain point, to bring clarity for both sides – both for us and for him. To make a clear statement: will the joint path continue, or will one look for a new direction? I would like to have clarity in January," Schäfer said, according to Bild.

“You know, one conversation is generally not enough. I’ve never experienced it that way. Usually, there are two, three, four, five rounds of discussions. But I would like clarity in January."

Like Schlager, long-serving goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi is also approaching the final six months of his contract.

Should he decide to stay, the 35-year-old could face a reduced role going forward, with the 12-year younger Maarten Vandevoordt pushing to take over as first-choice goalkeeper.

“Pressure is a foreign word for me in any case. It’s similar with Xaver – I believe we are also in good discussions there," Schäfer said when asked about Gulacsi’s situation.

"We’ve already sat down two or three times and exchanged our thoughts openly and honestly. It’s about questions like: What does sporting development look like? What role does he take, and what role is intended for him? Does he perhaps want to try something new? And also about financial matters, logically.

"He is a very, very deserving player who has always performed. And even in the last half year, he contributed a large part to the fact that we’ve made great progress as a group."

In any case, neither Schlager nor Gulacsi will leave the club during the winter transfer window, Schäfer underlined.

"I can rule that out, I’m very certain about that."