RB Leipzig have agreed a transfer for Stade Reims centre-back Abdoul Koné, with the deal confirmed on 29 January 2026. Reports in France and Germany put the guaranteed fee at around €16-17m, rising to as much as €21m with add-ons, and Koné has signed a contract running through to 2031. As part of the agreement, he will not move to Germany straight away — Reims insisted on keeping him on loan for the rest of the 2025/26 season, with the switch to Leipzig only taking effect this summer.
Leipzig's managing director Marcel Schäfer explained the thinking behind the signing, describing Koné as "a tall, physical defender with real strength in duels and in the air, combined with exceptional pace over longer distances." He also pointed to the player's composure in possession and his versatility, noting he "can also operate out on the right" if needed. At 1.92m tall, Koné fits the profile of a modern, mobile centre-back who can defend the box and also carry the ball out from the back — exactly the kind of player Leipzig have targeted under head coach Ole Werner. He joins a growing group of French players at the club, including Castello Lukeba, El Chadaille Bitshiabu and Nicolas Gomis.
For Reims, it is a significant loss further down the line, even if the loan-back softens the immediate blow. Koné has been one of the first names on the team sheet in the heart of their defence this season, and losing a player of his profile — young, homegrown at the club since 2023, and already courted by multiple German and other European sides — is the kind of deal a Ligue 2 club has to take when the money on offer is this large. Reims will bank a fee well above what they paid to sign him from Paris FC in 2023, but they lose a defender they had built their promotion push around.
Koné's recent form explains the interest. He made his first-team breakthrough in 2023/24, scoring his Ligue 1 debut appearance in a win over Marseille, and went on to make seven appearances in France's top flight before Reims were relegated at the end of 2024/25. Since dropping into Ligue 2, he has become an even more central figure, starting 15 of his 18 league games this season and chipping in with a goal and an assist from centre-back — numbers that point to a player comfortable doing more than just defending. He has also earned caps for the France Under-20s.
Because of the loan-back arrangement, Koné will continue playing for Reims through the rest of this season as they push for an immediate return to Ligue 1, meaning Leipzig fans will have to wait until pre-season to see him in a Bundesliga shirt. When he does arrive, he is expected to compete for a regular starting role alongside the likes of Lukeba, with his aerial strength and recovery pace seen as attributes that suit Leipzig's high defensive line and possession-based approach under Werner.
The move is a straightforward case of a big club moving early to secure a young defender before his stock rose further, while giving the selling club the flexibility to finish the season with him still on the pitch.