Kevin Kampl and Bundesliga club RB Leipzig have mutually agreed to terminate his contract early with effect from January 31. The 35-year-old midfielder, who moved to Leipzig from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2017, would like to return to his home in Solingen for family reasons, as he explained in a message to the fans. Kampl will officially say goodbye on January 17 at the home game against Bayern Munich.
"I was very, very happy in Leipzig and am very proud of what I have achieved," Kampl was quoted as saying in a press release, "I myself will now - as in the last few months - take intensive care of my family back home."
Kampl makes sixth most appearances for Leipzig
Kampl, whose contract would have expired in the summer, came on three times in the 90th minute this season, the last time on matchday 5 in Leipzig's 1-0 win at VfL Wolfsburg at the end of September. With 283 competitive appearances for Leipzig, Kampl is the professional with the sixth most appearances.
The 28-time Slovenian international played a total of 270 games in the Bundesliga for Leipzig, Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund. Kampl joined the Westphalians on January 1, 2015 from RB Salzburg, for whom he played five half-seasons. The midfielder, who celebrated two cup wins with Leipzig, scored a total of 13 goals in the Bundesliga.
No career end yet
Due to the late termination of his contract at the end of January, Kampl cannot move to another club in the second half of the season. Kampl left open whether the termination of his contract would be tantamount to the end of his career: "I don't want to definitively rule out the possibility of returning to the pitch somewhere at some point, even if it feels absolutely unrealistic at the moment and I want to spend much more time with the people closest to me in the future."
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