RB Leipzig Signs Marc Guiu from Chelsea on Long-Term Deal
RB Leipzig have doubled down on their identity again. High tempo, high upside – and this time, a centre-forward built for both.
The Bundesliga club have signed Spanish striker Marc Guiu from Chelsea on a contract running until June 2031, ending one of the summer’s more closely watched sagas around a young No 9. Several clubs had circled, but Leipzig’s pitch – minutes, development, a clear role – won the race.
“Joining RB Leipzig is exactly the right step for me. The club made a real effort to bring me here and, in our talks, gave me a clear idea of the role I can play in the team,” Guiu said after the move was confirmed.
For the 18-year-old, it closes a turbulent chapter. Since arriving at Chelsea in 2024, he rarely escaped the logjam of a swollen squad. Starts in the Premier League were scarce, chances fragmented. His most convincing auditions came not in domestic action but in Europe, where he impressed in the Conference League and reminded scouts why he had been so coveted when he left Barcelona.
Chelsea’s situation did the rest. Under pressure to trim numbers and raise funds to stay on the right side of financial regulations, the London club moved from resistance to pragmatism. A sale that once looked unlikely quickly became logical for all involved.
Guiu’s rise has never been linear. He burst into Barcelona’s first team at just 17, a debut that carried all the weight and expectation that comes with La Masia. Chelsea pounced, viewing his signing as a statement for their long-term project. Reality bit harder. Surrounded by a raft of forwards and constant churn, he found himself on the fringes more often than the pitch.
Even his loan to Sunderland, designed to give him rhythm and responsibility, never truly started. It was cut short after less than a month when injuries at Chelsea forced a recall, underlining the instability that followed him through his time in England.
Leipzig see something very different.
Managing Director for Sport Marcel Schafer has been clear: this was not a scramble for a name, but a calculated pursuit of a profile. A replacement for outgoing forwards, yes, but also a player who fits the club’s core principles.
“Marc is a very good fit for our RB DNA with his intensity, pace and incredible work rate. He’s relentless in his work without the ball, while he’s also a real presence in the box and is always looking to get at goal,” Schafer said, underlining exactly why Guiu topped their list.
The club’s recruitment staff have tracked him closely since he first stepped away from La Masia. This was a long courtship, not a last-minute impulse.
“We’ve been in contact with him for a long time and have followed his development very closely, so we’re delighted that he has chosen RB Leipzig. We’re convinced he has the quality and mentality to make an immediate impact, while he still has plenty of room to develop further,” Schafer added.
That duality – impact now, upside later – is precisely what Leipzig trade in. For Guiu, it is a calculated pivot after stints at two of the game’s superclubs without the continuity a young striker needs. He knows the track record here: forwards and attacking talents polished in Saxony before stepping onto even bigger stages.
“RB Leipzig have shown time and again that young players can develop here at the very highest level. RBL are also an ambitious club with high aspirations in every competition. I want to play my part in achieving those goals while continuing to improve every day,” he said.
A teenager who has already worn the shirts of Barcelona and Chelsea now bets his next prime years on Leipzig’s system and trust. The contract runs to 2031. The question now is simple: in a club built to launch careers, how quickly can he turn potential into a Bundesliga force?
