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Sky Germany report that Italian giants Napoli are in advanced talks with RB Leipzig over a potential return for North Macedonian winger Eljif Elmas.
Elmas, 25, joined Leipzig from Napoli back in January 2024 after having made 143 appearances for Gli Azzurri. A part of Napoli’s Scudetto-winning side back in 2023, there was real promise around the wide player when he came through the doors at the Red Bull Arena.
However, following his signing for a kicker-reported €23m fee, he has featured just 22 times in the red-and-white of Leipzig across all competitions, with the majority of those appearances coming off the bench. Elmas also spent the second half of the 2024/25 campaign on loan at Italian club Torino.
Now, Napoli and Leipzig are in talks over a possible return for the North Macedonian international. The Italian outfit want to take him on loan with an option to buy. If Leipzig agree to those terms, the German side insist that Napoli must cover his full salary in addition to a loan fee.
Leipzig made it clear earlier on in the window that selling Elmas outright was their original plan, but with the window drawing to a close, they’re open to negotiating a loan deal under specific terms. Nevertheless, Ole Werner and the rest of the Leipzig hierarchy have made it clear that Elmas does not have a future at Leipzig.
GGFN | Sam Carey
