RB Leipzig to sign 'up to six players' after Champions League qualification

RB Leipzig have gone from finishing second in Germany's second tier to qualifying for the Champions League group stage in a year

RB Leipzig will sign up to six players after qualifying for the Champions League for the first time, director of sport Ralf Rangnick says.

Leipzig, founded in 2009 with backing from drinks firm Red Bull, will play in the group stage after a 4-1 win at Hertha Berlin on Saturday guaranteed a top-three finish in the Bundesliga.

"At the start of the season, we just talked about being worry-free [from relegation]," Rangnick said.

"I am simply proud."

• Listen: The rise of RB Leipzig

With two games to go, Leipzig are second in the table, 10 points behind champions Bayern Munich, and cannot finish below third spot.

With the backing of the Austrian energy drink manufacturer, Leipzig reached Germany's top flight last year after four promotions in seven seasons.

Their rise has led to them being labelled "Germany's most hated club" and opposition fans have staged protests against their commercial structure.

RB Leipzig reached the German top flight in 2015-16 after their fourth promotion in seven seasons

"When we play in the Champions League, we'll have to strengthen the squad," added 58-year-old Rangnick, who has previously managed German clubs Hoffenheim, Schalke and Hannover.

"Whether three or four new additions will be enough, I do not know. Perhaps we'll need five or six and we need more quality across the board."

The win over Hertha Berlin was Leipzig's 20th in 32 league games since winning promotion last season.

German forwards Timo Werner and Davie Selke scored two goals each.

Twenty-year-old midfielder Oliver Burke, who became the most expensive Scottish player when he joined Leipzig for a fee of around £13m in August 2016, was an unused substitute.