RB Leipzig have signed defender Maxime Esteve from Burnley.

The 24-year-old has signed a five-year deal with the Bundesliga club after agreeing a reported €24.6m (£21m) deal with Burnley, who were relegated from the Premier League last season.

Esteve spent two-and-a-half seasons with the Clarets after joining from Montpellier, helping them achieve promotion to the English top-flight for the 2025-26 campaign.

The Frenchman recorded the sixth-most clearances among Premier League defenders last term (221), while he led Burnley defenders in duels won (139), recorded the second-most interceptions (45) and third-most tackles won (26).

Overall, he made 100 appearances for Burnley and helped them keep 31 clean sheets, 30 of which came in the 2024-25 Championship season.

“I’m delighted to be an RB Leipzig player. The club stands for high-intensity, fearless football, continuous progress and big ambitions. That suits me perfectly,” Esteve told the club website.

Welcome to Leipzig, Maxime Estève! 

The French centre-back joins RBL from Burnley on a deal until 2031  pic.twitter.com/SoBq74gzgM

— RB Leipzig English (@RBLeipzig_EN) July 17, 2026

“I’ve come to Leipzig to make an immediate contribution, take on responsibility and achieve success together with the team.

“I learnt a great deal in France and England, and I now want to bring that experience and those qualities to RB Leipzig.

“The talks with the club were extremely convincing. I could tell that there is a clear plan for me here. I’m now looking forward to meeting the team and the fans.

“Together, we want to enjoy success in the Champions League, the Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal.”