Red Bull director reveals transfer plan for new USMNT stars Hall and Mehmeti

News

Tom Weber | Writer

RB Leipzig director Marcel Schafer has shared his thoughts on the future of Red Bull New York youngsters Julian Hall and Adri Mehmeti.

Both are in the midst of a real breakout season in Major League Soccer and have just been rewarded with their first call-up to the senior United States men's national team by Mauricio Pochettino.

Unlike Mehmeti, who has seamlessly made the step up from the "Baby Bulls" to the first team, Hall has been around for a while. The 18-year-old made his senior debut in 2023 and has already racked up 71 appearances for the Red Bulls.

This season, the forward has markedly improved his overall game and become much more well-rounded. He is on nine goals and five assists in MLS for the year, although he is currently in a drought and has yet to score since the league's return from its World Cup break.

Nevertheless, the Red Bulls handed him a monumental new contract in August. In order to strengthen their negotiating position ahead of a possible move in 2027, the MLS side made him the youngest American U22 Initiative player in league history.

Will Hall, Mehmeti join Leipzig?

Mehmeti's rise has been ever swifter. With the exception of a brief cameo in Leagues Cup last year, the 17-year-old had not played senior competitive soccer before 2026, yet he has quickly emerged as one of the best midfielders in MLS.

According to data analytics firm SciSports, Mehmeti has been one of the league's best performers in his position this season, and he is already among the biggest midfield talents in the world.

He has the second-highest potential among U21 midfielders, only bettered by PSG star Warren Zaire-Emery. SciSports' algorithm calculates a player's ceiling using hundreds of in-game data points.

Hall and Mehmeti are in line to make their senior USMNT debuts in the upcoming international break, which will only augment their already sparkling reputations. Naturally, their club futures are a topic of discussion.

It is well-established that both are being closely followed by some of the biggest clubs in Europe, although an intermediate step may be advisable in order for them to maximize their game time across the pond.

Given that New York is part of the Red Bull network, there should be a straightforward career pathway to a club like RB Salzburg or RB Leipzig - or perhaps Paris FC or Leeds. Both played for Leipzig in the U21 Premier League International Cup in mid-January.

However, it is no longer as easy for Red Bull clubs to keep players in their orbit as it used to be. The days of Tyler Adams moving from New York to Leipzig as the obvious next step in his career are over.

While still an attractive destination for young prospects, Leipzig's influence and pull over players in that category have steadily declined because of the hegemony of the Premier League over the transfer market.

The Bundesliga outfit no longer have to compete for talent with just Brentford, Brighton and Bournemouth; they are now battling with Chelsea, Man City and Liverpool, who have all started targeting younger players in recent years.

As a result, Leipzig can no longer simply rely on their multi-club talent factory. They have to actively develop players themselves, which they have not been particularly great at over the past decade.

It is not guaranteed that Hall and Mehmeti will make the move to Europe via Leipzig or another Red Bull club. "You need to consider that so many players are willing to go to the Premier League," Leipzig director Marcel Schafer explained to GOAL.

"If you talk to any player, it's like, okay, come to Leipzig, you know, for a certain time, but in the end, my dream is the Premier League," the former Wolfsburg and Tampa Bay Rowdies star added.

"It has changed a lot. You need to develop rising stars. You need to develop almost world-class players. We know what will happen, but in the end, that will bring you to the focus, to the fans, to the young fans, to the new generation of soccer. That's key."

Ideally, Schafer would want to keep Hall and Mehmeti at Red Bull, but this is getting more difficult with each transfer window. "In New York, it's not really a big secret that you have really fantastic young players like Julian Hall and Adri Mehmeti.

"Of course, it's the intention and a clear goal to keep them in the Red Bull family and to show them a pathway where we convince them to go step by step with us," he insisted. Time will tell if Schafer can achieve his "clear goal."

Written by

Tom Weber | Writer

Tom Weber is an experienced, multilingual sports writer who specialises in European football and American soccer as part of his freelance work for FootballTransfers.

View full bio