RB Leipzig have announced the signing of Neil El Aynaoui from AS Roma on loan until the end of the 2026/27 season, with an option for Leipzig to make the move permanent. The deal was only finalised after late concern over personal terms had threatened to derail the switch.
Leipzig's midfield fit
Leipzig are framing the move around role and style as much as recruitment. Marcel Schäfer, Leipzig's Managing Director for Sport, said: "With Neil El Aynaoui, we are bringing in a player who fits our profile and our style of play extremely well," while also describing him as "a very energetic and aggressive player" who brings "high level of intensity off the ball" and "dynamism and creativity in midfield".
El Aynaoui sounded comfortable with that fit himself. He said: "RB Leipzig has an excellent reputation, and the RBL style of play – with its high intensity, dynamism and ambition to dominate possession – suits me and my strengths very well," adding that he wants to "play my part in helping us achieve our goals straight away."
The move also sits neatly with Leipzig's recent level. They finished third in the 2025 Bundesliga with 65 points and 66 league goals, so this is not a club scrambling to patch over a crisis. It is a side adding another midfielder to a team already producing at the sharp end of the table.
Roma, meanwhile, ended 2025 Serie A on 73 points and in third place, which helps explain why a loan with an option to buy is the shape of the deal rather than a rushed permanent sale. The transfer was reported to have been close to collapsing before the personal terms issue was sorted, and that late wobble was the main reason this one dragged into the deadline-day scramble.
Leipzig will take El Aynaoui straight into the squad for the away trip to Werder Bremen on Saturday.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →
