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“It was incredibly difficult for me”

National striker Hoffmann is leaving the German club

January 28, 2026 – 4:29 p.mReading time: 1 min.

Giovanna Hoffmann (l.) next to Laura Freigang: Both are among the first substitutes.Enlarge the image

Giovanna Hoffmann (l.) next to Laura Freigang: For the DFB women it’s about qualifying for the World Cup this year. (Source: IMAGO/Frank Hoermann / SVEN SIMON)

Will she stay in Germany or move abroad? One thing is certain: Giovanna Hoffmann is turning her back on Leipzig after just two years.

German international Giovanna Hoffmann and RB Leipzig will go their separate ways in the summer. The Bundesliga club announced this on Wednesday. The 27-year-old will not extend her working paper, which expires in June, and will leave Saxony after two years. It is still unclear where Hoffmann will go. VfL Wolfsburg and Eintracht Frankfurt are considered interested.

“It was incredibly difficult for me not to extend my contract, but sometimes opportunities in football don’t come around a second time,” Hoffmann is quoted as saying in the Leipzig statement. After tearing her cruciate ligament last October, the co-captain, who moved from SC Freiburg to RB in 2024, will no longer play for the Saxons.

Viola Odebrecht, head of women’s and girls’ football at RB Leipzig, regretted the striker’s departure: “We would have loved to continue working with her, but we respect her decision and wish her every success in the future.”

During her time at Leipzig, Hoffmann quickly developed into a top performer and scored 16 goals in 28 appearances and prepared six more. With these performances, she played her way into the German national team and even pushed Lea Schüller out of the starting eleven during the tournament at the 2025 European Championships in Switzerland.

Already after the tournament there was speculation about an early change. At that time, Manchester United was said to have shown strong interest. However, the English first division club signed Schüller from FC Bayern for its offensive in the winter.

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