Anyone who wants to spoil Konrad Laimer's mood these days asks him about his professional future.

Then the 24-year-old midfielder from RB Leipzig waves it away or grimaces in torment.

"Just leave me alone with that," that's supposed to mean, even if he wouldn't say it so directly.

Konrad Laimer is a polite person.

He is also extremely successful on the soccer field.

Yes, Laimer is in the best shape of his life, it's no exaggeration to say that.

But he wouldn't say that either.

Laimer is a reserved person.

From his mouth it sounds more like this: "I definitely feel very good and am having a lot of fun again and enjoying the phase very much." Only someone who knows other times can have fun and enjoy it.

Who knows that being healthy and productive is nothing to be taken for granted.

Laimer didn't have fun last season, missing almost the entire season due to bone edema.

He was only on the pitch three times in the Bundesliga.

"The last year wasn't easy for me.

In such a time you get to know your body particularly well and appreciate all the more what good your health is.

The time has also made me personally stronger,” he says.

So strong that in spring 2022 he became the central figure in the RB Leipzig game.

Under coach Domenico Tedesco, Laimer is placed in front of the defensive line.

From there he drives, runs to spaces, directs his teammates, plays passes, provides assists and scores himself. In short: he does everything that belongs to a successful football game.

Sought after on the transfer market

It was already known that he can do quite a lot of things quite well.

Otherwise Leipzig would not have taken him from the Salzburg branch in 2017 at the age of 20.

But the thing about scoring goals is new.

Before that he had a modest three goals in four seasons, this year alone it's four.

He scored two goals in the 4-1 draw in Dortmund and was hailed as an outstanding man on the pitch.

Such performances have made Laimer a sought-after object on the transfer market.

His contract with RB Leipzig expires in the summer of 2023, and FC Bayern, Borussia Dortmund, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool FC are said to be more interested.

As I said, Laimer does not want to comment on this.

You have to believe him when he says he doesn't want to start thinking about his future for a few weeks.

Now is just not the right time for that, and that's true.

Laimer faces crucial games with RB Leipzig.

So far, his time there has been plagued by the fact that he hasn't won anything yet.

No trophies, no medals.

That could now change, in two ways.

On May 21, the team will contest the final of the DFB Cup against SC Freiburg in Berlin (8 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the DFB Cup and on ARD).

After two lost finals in 2019 and 2021, it should finally work.

And then there is the Europa League, RB could also triumph in this competition.

Although they are only in the semi-finals there, Leipzig is the favorite in the two games against Glasgow Rangers.

First there is a clash this Thursday (9 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the Europa League and on RTL +) in Leipzig, before the second leg in Glasgow is due in seven days.

Leipzig originally started in the Champions League, but there it was not enough to progress in a group with Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain.

After all, RB qualified third for the Europa League.

"In the group stage of the Champions League we could have done better with a little more luck in the match, because we've already shown that we're competitive at this level.

Not many teams can claim to have scored three goals at Manchester City.

In the end, however, we lacked consistency and results in the first half of the season,” says Laimer.

With the consequence that coach Jesse Marsch was replaced by Tedesco.

Tedesco prescribed a more dominant, offensive style for the team, which is also beneficial to Laimer.

"Our game suits me because in certain situations I can push into the front that have potential for final actions," says Laimer.

His main job isn't scoring goals, but he thinks he can get used to it.

He has yet to score in the Europa League.

That should change now.

There could hardly be a better time than the semifinals for this.