Report: RB Leipzig on brink of signing Lookman from Everton for £22.5M

Ademola Lookman is on the verge of returning to the Bundesliga.

RB Leipzig are close to acquiring the young English attacker from Everton for a £22.5-million fee, Phil McNulty of BBC Sport reports.

The Bundesliga side will reportedly pay most of the transfer fee upfront in cash. Everton's sale of Lookman will give the club a massive profit on the initial £7.5 million they paid Charlton Athletic for him in 2017.

Leipzig attempted to sign Lookman last summer following a successful loan spell, but Everton rejected their approach as club officials held out hope that he could earn a regular spot in the first team.

It's understood that director of football Marcel Brands and manager Marco Silva were "desperate" for Lookman to succeed at Everton, McNulty adds. However, it appears that Lookman failed to inspire confidence with his play.

The 21-year-old scored five goals and provided three assists during 11 Bundesliga appearances when he spent the second half of the 2017-18 campaign on loan at Leipzig.

But his success in Germany didn't result in regular playing time with the Merseyside outfit, as Lookman was limited to 21 Premier League appearances last term - 18 of which came as a substitute.