Lukas Klostermann

Lukas Manuel Klostermann ( born 3 June 1996) is a German professional footballer who plays as a right-back or centre-back for Bundesliga club RB Leipzig and the Germany national team.

Off the field, Klostermann maintains a private persona, preferring to focus on his career rather than seeking media attention.

Born in Herdecke, Germany, Klostermann began playing football when he was "five or six years old".

He played for various youth teams at FSV Gevelsberg, SSV Hagen and VfL Bochum.

While at FSV Gevelsberg, he played in various positions before settling in defence at VfL Bochum.

After progressing through VfL Bochum's youth system, Klostermann was promoted to the U19 side and then VfL Bochum II.

While at VfL Bochum's youth system, Klostermann captained the U17 and U19 side.

Towards the end of the 2013–14 season, Klostermann pushed Paul Freier out of the first team over a right–back position.

His handful of first team appearances resulted him being named the club's Player of the Month for May.

At the end of the 2013–14 season, he made nine appearances for the side.

By the end of June, it was revealed that Klostermann had yet to sign a professional contract, leading to a start of negotiating.

He made his debut for the club, coming on as a second–half substitute, in a 2–0 win over VfR Aalen on 14 March 2014.

At the time of his debut, he appeared at just 17 years and 283 days.

In August 2014 it was announced that Klostermann and VfL Bochum had failed to reach an agreement regarding the extension of his contract.

Subsequently, he did not play another game for Bochum and on 22 August 2014 it was announced that he would transfer to RB Leipzig.

He made his RB Leipzig debut against Erzgebirge Aue in the second round of DFB-Pokal on 29 October 2014 but scored an own–goal and helped the side win 3–1 later in the game.

It wasn't until on 12 December 2014 when he made his league debut for the club, where he came on as a late substitute, in a 1–0 win over Greuther Fürth.

Towards the end of the 2014–15 season, Klostermann was given a handful of first team appearances following the club's defensive crisis.

At the end of the 2014–15 season, Klostermann went on to make a total of 15 appearances and scoring once in all competitions.

At some point, he signed a contract with the club, keeping him until 2015.

He then made his first start for RB Leipzig on 6 February 2015, in a 2–2 draw against Erzgebirge Aue.

He then scored his first goal for the club on 24 April 2015, in a 2–1 win over Darmstadt 98.

In the 2015–16 season, Klostermann started the season, playing in the right–back position for the side and soon became the club's first choice throughout the season.

He set up a goal for Davie Selke, in a 2–2 draw against Greuther Fürth on Matchday 2.

Despite missing out three matches, due to injuries later in the 2015–16 season, Klostermann went on to make a total of 31 appearances and scoring once in all competitions.

He then scored his first goal of the season, in a 2–1 win over 1860 Munich on 13 March 2016.

Klostermann later helped the club get promoted to the Bundesliga for the first time after beating Karlsruher SC 2–0 on 8 May 2016.

Ahead of the 2016–17 season, Klosterman was linked with a move away from RB Leipzig, as Premier League duo Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal showed interest.

However, his season was overshadowed with injuries.

He only made one (and only) appearance this season, starting the whole game, in a 1–0 win over Borussia Dortmund on Matchday 2.

While rehabilitating his injuries, Klostermann signed a contract extension with the club, keeping him until 2021.

It wasn't until May 2017 when he returned to training with the first team on a full recovery.

The 2017–18 season saw Klostermann regaining his first team place at RB Leipzig, playing in the right–back position.

Despite his absence at the start of the season, he scored his first goal for the club, in a 2–1 win over 1. FC Köln on 1 October 2017.

In the second half of the 2017–18 season, Klostermann lost his place in the right–back position to Konrad Laimer.

Instead, he began to play in the left–back position for the rest of the 2017–18 season, although he occasionally played in the right–back position.

At the end of the 2017–18 season, Klostermann went on to make thirty–nine appearances in all competitions.

He signed for Leipzig on a four-year deal until 2018.

Shortly after joining RB Leipzig, Klostermann was assigned to the U19 and RB Leipzig II.

Ahead of the 2018–19 season, Klostermann was linked with a move to Serie A side A.S. Roma but dismissed the move and wanted to stay at the club.