Hoffenheim and Austria star Christoph Baumgartner has played down transfer speculation surrounding him, insisting he is fully committed to playing for the Bundesliga club next season.

Rumours in recent weeks have linked Baumgartner with a move to Liverpool, with Manchester United also said to be interested in the 21-year-old.

However, the attacking midfielder – who can also play as a forward – signed a contract extension back in March, taking his deal with Hoffenheim all the way through to 2025. In an interview with Sport Bild (as reported by bulinews.com), Baumgartner revealed that his intention is to stick with his current employers.

„My clear plan is to play for Hoffenheim next season. I definitely extended my contract in March with the intention to play here next season,“ he confirmed.

„I believe I have the biggest opportunity to develop further here. For me, that means playing consistently at a high level with more room for improvement.“

Baumgartner has flourished at Hoffenheim, where he previously played Under-19 and reserve team football. He has impressed over the course of the last two seasons, in both of which he has registered 11 Bundesliga goal contributions.

His domestic form since his breakthrough in 2019/20 has also earned him international recognition. Franco Foda gave him his debut for Austria in September 2020 and has since awarded Baumgartner 14 caps, in which the 21-year-old has scored four times.

He was selected for Foda’s final 26-man squad for Euro 2020 and was included in 90min’s Our 21 series, taking note of the most special young talent at this summer’s European Championship.

Baumgartner featured in all four of Austria’s matches at Euro 2020, notably scoring the only goal in a 1-0 victory over Ukraine, before Italy dumped them out at the round of 16 stage, courtesy of a 2-1 extra time win.