RB Leipzig's Bundesliga struggles could bolster Arsenal and Chelsea's chances of landing Benjamin Sesko this summer.
The German club crashed out of Europe last month after limping to a hugely underwhelming 32nd-place finish in the Champions League group stages, winning just one of their eight matches.
While they banked an estimated £49.2million in prize money - small change given Liverpool received in excess of £83m for topping the standings - Leipzig are also in a fight to secure Champions League qualification for next season.
Failure to achieve that would have damaging financial implications for Leipzig's summer finances having recently committed to a whopping £66m deal for Xavi Simons in January.
Leipzig are therefore cautious they will have no choice but to listen to bids for Sesko, defender Castello Lukeba and Simons at the end of the season if they fail to achieve their goals as it would significantly weaken their negotiating position.
That could play into the hands of Arsenal, who have already done notable groundwork on a move for Sesko, and Chelsea as both sides have the Slovenia striker on their summer wish-list. The 21-year-old penned a new contract until the summer of 2029 last June and if Leipzig were to clinch Champions League qualification, they would be under no immediate pressure to sell.
Chelsea and Liverpool are also among France centre-back Lukeba's long list of admirers alongside Spanish giants Real Madrid.
Financials aside, Leipzig are also determined to enter a new era under the leadership of Red Bull's new Head of Global Soccer, Jurgen Klopp.
The vision is that Leipzig, whose model has previously been based on selling their top stars for huge profit, will eventually look to keep hold of all their most-valuable players.
But convincing the likes of Sesko, Lukeba and Dutch attacker Simons to stay put if Champions League football is no longer on offer could prove complex given there is widespread interest in their services from both England and Europe.
One of Klopp's first big tasks is to assess the future of under-pressure Leipzig boss Marco Rose, who the German has always rated and respected within coaching circles. However, there is an acceptance that results this season have not been good enough by a long stretch.
Leipzig's Champions League shortcomings have hit the club hard given the total prize pot is worth a record £2.07billion this season. Winning just one group game has been hugely limiting from a financial perspective even though qualification for the group stages was worth £15.6m, alone.
Their midweek DFB Pokal quarter-final victory over Wolfsburg has given Rose some breathing space but if results don't improve - they play top-four rivals Mainz and Freiburg next - then a managerial change is expected to be seriously considered.