It was a wonderful end to the season. Third place and the Champions League! That combined with an all-time high goal haul! Next season promises a lot with the club ambitiously positioning itself to not just push for any old title, but the Bundesliga itself. It has been made clear numerous times by the senior management that no top performers will leave this summer and instead, the squad will be improved with the signings of high quality players. But which ones? I present to you EVERY player that has been linked with the club since the closing of the last transfer window - you will not find a more comprehensive list!
In early February, Goal journalist Nizaar Kinsella tweeted that Brighton and Hove Albion rejected two bids from Chelsea for 18-year-old left back Zak Sturge amid interest from Bayer Leverkusen. The England youth international had turned down attempts by the seagulls to extend his contract and as a consequence, would have been available for free. Whilst not particularly well documented, Bayer 04’s apparent interest is longstanding, with the Werkself also being named as an interested party last summer. In recent weeks it was revealed that Sturge finally signed a new deal after being promised that he would be part of their long-term plans.
Adam Mulele, a 17-year-old Spanish winger from AS Monaco, was subject to concrete interest from Leipzig, Hoffenheim, Hertha Berlin and Bayer Leverkusen according to Loic Tanzi of RMC Sport on Twitter. In April however, he was announced as a Hoffenheim player by the same journalist, signing his first professional contract.
Also in February, Sport Bild broke the news that Nicolas Seiwald of RB Salzburg was being observed by Bayer Leverkusen and is said to be ‘top of the list’. Seiwald was one of the more concrete rumours and there seemed a considerable probability that he would come. However Kicker dismissed the rumour mid-May saying that he is not a topic of interest, even if Aranguiz leaves.
Included in that same report was teammate Mohamed Camara. The more well-known and hyped of the two defensive midfielders, he has enjoyed a very successful Champions League season with a notable man of the match performance against FC Bayern. The 22-year-old Mali international is the far less likely to come of the two as in addition to an expected cost of upwards of €30m, the Premier League is his favoured destination according to an interview conducted by Salzburg24 in May.
According to the Twitter account Central da Bola, Bayer Leverkusen intends to make a meaningful offer for Palmeiras’ Raphael Veiga, a player which we have been monitoring since 2018. The 26-year-old Brazilian midfielder is having a stellar season with 25 goals and assists in just 28 games in all competitions this season. Should Palmeiras’ interest in Alario continue through the summer, an interesting exchange could be on the cards. Given that there has not been any significant developments since this tweet, assume there is nothing to it - though his position was certainly in demand here.
Now another one of those players we are perpetually linked with, Lille’s Jonathan Bamba. Italian outlet Gazetta dello Sport claimed that Bayer Leverkusen, Atalanta, Sevilla and West Ham are interested in the winger, valued at £16.5m by the French outfit (contract expiring next year). Bamba’s season has been nothing short of disastrous with the 26-year-old netting just once in 30 appearances. It is unlikely that Leverkusen would risk so much money on such a player, when so many better, and younger, options are available.
Back to South America, this time for Atletico Mineiro attacking midfielder Matias Zaracho. Allegedly in the last summer window the Werkself offered €17 million euros for the Argentine owned 50% by Atletico Mineiro and 50% Racing Club - something which was denied by the Brazilian club. According to Jorge Nicola, we intend to do the same again this summer.
Montreal’s Djordje Mihailovic is being closely watched by a long list of clubs, including Bayer 04, according to Jeunes Footeux. The suggested transfer fee for the American is €8m, with his contract expiring in winter 2023. Described by his teammates as a front runner for MLS’ MVP award, he is enjoying a great season with 11 goals and assists in 15 appearances. Italian side Bologna are said to be the favourites for his signature
A big part of Nottingham Forest’s push for top-flight football has been England U21 international Djed Spence. On loan from Middlesbrough, his electric speed and defensive abilities were on show for the world during Forest’s surprise FA cup run where he impressively marshaled wingers of 3 Premier League teams in Arsenal, Leicester and finally Liverpool. Sky Sports reports that Leverkusen are among a long list of clubs monitoring his development - a list that includes the likes of Bayern Munich, Dortmund and Arsenal. Given his talent and the number of suitors, he won’t come cheap with Arsenal and Spurs prepared to offer £20m for the fullback. The Premier League is his most likely destination with the player saying in an interview with the Daily Mirror, “of course it’s an ambition of mine to play in the Premier League”.
According to TuttoMercatoWeb, Ajax’s starting right-back Noussair Mazraoui was being tracked by Bayer Leverkusen. Since the first reports in March, the Morrocan has agreed a 4-year contract with rivals Bayern Munich, joining in July for free.
Journalist Tobi Holtkamp, claimed that Bayer 04 wanted not just one, but two Bochum defenders - Armel Bella-Kotchap and Maxim Leitsch. Bild report that Bella-Kotchap is set for a move to England this summer however, with Bochum pricing him at €10m. Leitsch on the other hand had an extremely cheap release clause of just €3m according to Kicker - a bargain which was savvily exploited by Mainz.
Having already signed his younger brother, Bayer Leverkusen are also interested in RB Salzburg striker Noah Okafor as reports Sport1. With his contract expiring in 2024, Salzburg aim to maximise their profit, asking for €25m for the Swiss international. Okafor, who can also play on the wings, helped form a formidable partnership with new Dortmund signing Karim Adeyemi, with 9 goals and 9 assists in 21 Austrian Bundesliga games.
Reyes Cleary of West Bromwich Albion’s U23’s has supposedly been watched by Bayer 04 scouts. The 18-year-old centre forward, compared to Romelu Lukaku has scored 13 goals in 11 games for the U18s and 7 in 15 for the U23s. Despite attempts to keep him at the Midlands club, Cleary made the decision in March to start looking for a new club with his contract expiring this summer. Other interested teams include Bayern Munich, Arsenal and Everton.
Despite Arminia Bielefeld’s automatic relegation, one player still shone nonetheless. Goalkeeper Stefan Ortega. In March, Sky Sports reported that talks had taken place between the now free agent and Bayer Leverkusen. It didn’t take very long for Rudi Voller to shoot down the rumour, saying in an interview with Bild, ‘This has nothing to do with Ortega, he's doing really well at Bielefeld. But he is definitely not a topic for us… we are super positioned at the goalkeeping position from our number one to three. We don't need to sign a goalkeeper’. Was he bluffing? In early May, Rolfes said that the Werkself will try to buy another goalkeeper to increase the competition for Hradecky. But would Ortega be satisfied with the bench?
Eintracht Frankfurt and Bayer Leverkusen have ‘taken action’ over the 19-year-old Trabzonspor central defender Ahmetcan Kaplan writes FotoMac and should have sent scouts to watch the Turkey U19 international in the Turkish champions’ match against Goztepe. In the 2021/22 season the left footer was only used sparingly but still managed to come 5th among the best U21 players in the Turkish Super Lig according to the ‘Comparisonator Index’.
Marca claimed in March that Leverkusen had ‘taken the lead’ in the race for Roma winger Carles Perez. Since his breakthrough at Barcelona, the 24-year-old Spaniard has struggled to live up to expectations for the Giallarossi, mustering just 1 goal in 19 games in Serie A this season. Despite this poor performance, a low price should not be expected as he only joined Roma permanently last summer for a mandatory purchase option of €13m which the Italians will surely want to recoup. There are better options available for sure.
For what feels to be the 100th time, Bayer Leverkusen have been linked with PSG’s Julian Draxler. Todofichajes writes that PSG would be willing to let the German playmaker go for about €20m. Sevilla, the focus of that particular article, was said to have offered a 3-year contract but would face tough competition from Bayer 04 who have followed him for ‘months’. It isn’t clear whether Leverkusen has taken any concrete steps or reporters are just reporting historic interest as proof we are interested in the present. He is a player that just doesn’t seem to go away and will no doubt feature later on this summer.
To France’s second tier now, more specifically AS Nancy for 17-year-old centre back Axel Guessand. The Grand Est club have had a torrid season and finished dead last but none of this can be attributed to the young Frenchman who has spent the season with the B side, despite being their youngest ever player at just 16 years and 295 days. His contract expires this summer and Leverkusen, AC Milan, Freiburg and Monaco have reportedly all started negotiations according to L’Equipe.
Don Balon in Spain claim that Luka Jovic’s future at Los Blancos is uncertain and that his most likely summer destination is in the Bundesliga. In addition to Eintracht Frankfurt, Dortmund and Leverkusen should also be monitoring his situation. Provided we keep Schick and Azmoun, and sign a player like Hlozek who can also play up front, we might not be able to offer the game time that the Serb needs to recover his old performances for Frankfurt. Apparently the player himself wants to push a move through to Borussia Dortmund but the German club are understood to not see him as a good enough replacement for the departed Haaland.
Could a sensational return of Bernd Leno to the Werkself be on the cards? Football London, in March, believed that Bayer 04, along with Newcastle United, were targeting the German international who is set to drop to 3rd in the pecking order at Arsenal next season after their acquisition of New England Revolution goalkeeper Matt Turner. Martin Plettenberg of Sky Sports Germany in early April iterated that Leno’s management have had no contact with Leverkusen. In more recent times, it is ex-coach Roger Schmidt’s new team, Benfica, who are favourites and the most prepared to pay the €10m price set by the North London team (though still not willing). Benfica are unfortunately in pot 3 of the Champions League (should they qualify) meaning a nostalgic reunion won’t be on the cards next season. Other teams include Hertha Berlin and Fulham.
According to Swedish news site ‘FotballDirekt’, Bayer Leverkusen are watching Zambian international Emmanuel Banda from Djurgardens IF in Sweden, potentially with the view to replace Aranguiz. It is not clear how serious this interest is however. Given his age (24) and his rather mediocre performances and game time, it is incredibly unlikely that a Champions League level club would take such a gamble, even if he is available for free in the 2022 winter window.
Late March Corrie dello Sport wrote that Feyenoord had received proposals from Arsenal, Atletico Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen for Colombian winger Luis Sinisterra. The lightning 22-year-old has had an outstanding season with the Dutch outfit, producing an astonishing 23 goals and 14 assists in all competitions, playing a key role in helping his team reach the first ever Uefa Europa Conference League final. The level of interest shown by Leverkusen as expanded and waned over the past few months, especially given the signings (or soon to be signings) of Adam Hlozek and Mykhaylo Mudryk. I was fortunate to ask club CEO Fernando Carro about the likelihood of his signing and he said that he wasn’t the most viable rumour, not denying our interest. RMC Sport reported that Leverkusen scouts were present in the Europa Conference League semi-final game against Marseille in May. A bid was tabled worth between €20m and €25m in May but the Rotterdammers refused, wanting to keep him on for another season (Futbolred.com). According to @es_grimes on Twitter on the 29th May, Sinisterra remains a top target in spite of the other signings for the wings. In a recent interview with Heldum Magazine, the Colombian confirmed that he intends to stay with Feyenoord until the Dutch club is willing to sell him.
Next, FC Koln’s Tunisian midfielder Ellyes Skhiri is being considered by Leverkusen claims Sky Germany. The 27-year-old’s contract expires next year and is expected to leave this summer. Benfica are the latest team to get involved, the Lisbon club seeking to sign him as a replacement for Julian Weigl and other interested parties include Lyon and West Ham. He is expected to cost between €8m and €10m.
According to a report by Globo Esporte, Sao Paolo left back Welington is still subject to interest from Bayer Leverkusen, who were actually also interested in signing him the previous summer. At that time, he was estimated by the Brazilians at €4.5m but over the course of the past year, he is said to have drastically increased in value to €8m. Despite the long interest, a commitment this summer is looking unlikely as BolaVIP writes that Sao Paolo are seeking to extend the 21-year-old’s contract which is currently running until winter 2024.
19-year-old Manchester United winger Noam Emeran was believed to be followed by Bayer Leverkusen, as tweeted by Ed Aarons of The Guardian. However the Frenchman is to stay with the Red Devils, after agreeing a contract running to 2024 with an option to extend to 2025 as officially announced by the club.
Marton Szep
Another youngster, @HungarianFooty on Twitter say that Bayer Leverkusen have looked extensively at 15-year-old Vidi forward Marton Szep. The Hungarian even took part in a trial in October last year. MOL Fehérvár FC on Twitter on the 1st June tweeted that he will arrive in Germany ‘soon’. However Peter Simek told the club that he could only join once he turns 16 but we have requested that he still attends some of our training sessions.
Christian Falk of Sport Bild tweeted that the Werkself were in the poker for Mainz centre back Jeremiah St Juste. The Bundesliga’s fastest player, recorded at 36.63 km/h, the Dutchman has since gone on to sign a contract with Portuguese giants Sporting CP in a deal worth €9.5m.
According to ESPN journalist Mac Resendiz, Benfica, AC Milan and Bayer Leverkusen are all options for Necaxa defender Jesus Alcantar, described as the ‘Mexican Pogba’. The 18-year-old left-sided centre back is said to be looking for a long contract between 4 and 5 years but due to the Mexican club’s demands, nothing yet has materialised.
The Deichstube reported in April that Leverkusen were still dealing with the Polish defensive talent Maik Nawrocki, who at the time was on loan at Ekstraklasa record champions Legia Warsaw. Included in the loan deal was an option to buy worth €1.5m which Legia exercised, unsurprising as the Poland U21 international was one of the few bright sparks of what was otherwise an appalling season by their standards.
According to ‘journalist’ Nico Schira, Divock Origi, now all but confirmed as an AC Milan signing, was subject to an offer from Bayer Leverkusen. The Belgium international and Liverpool cult hero joins the Italian champions as a free transfer and will allegedly earn €3.5m a year.
Leverkusen are supposedly working on a commitment for child prodigy Xavi Simons of Paris St Germain. The 18-year-old’s contract expires at the end of the month and PSG are understood to be actively working on a renewal. According to Fabrizio Romano, this was always the plan for Simons with 3 offers from different clubs being rejected in the past few months. With so little time left though, an extension seems increasingly unlikely.
Foot Mercato information states that Ahmed Touba of RKC Waalwijk would be followed by Bayer Leverkusen, AEK Athens, Benfica and Real Betis among others. The Algerian international, whose contract expires next summer, would come cheap, with a price tag of just €1m. However Voetbal International say that the 24-year-old defender would favour a move to France.
PSG defender Thilo Kehrer persists to be linked with Bayer 04. Calciomercato claim that the Parisians are keen to sell the German international they paid Schalke €37m for back in 2018 this summer to avoid losing him for free. Alongside Leverkusen (who Kehrer apparently ignored calls from), West Ham were listed in the initial report. Despite his expiring contract, he was still estimated to cost as much as €20m back in the winter window.
Calciomercato also writes that Junya Ito, 29-year-old winger of Racing Genk, is being watched by Leverkusen. The Japanese has enjoyed a wonderful season, in spite of his clubs poor one, finishing with 8 goals and 15 assists in 34 Pro League games. In terms of providing for goals, nobody in Belgium does it better. It would be strange to see us sign such a player given his profile but should high-profile, younger names fail, Ito would not be a bad alternative.
According to TuttoMercatoWeb, Mattia Viti of Empoli met with Werkself representatives to discuss his future. The talented 20-year-old centre back, an Italy U21 international, would prefer to stay in Italy however and Bayer Leverkusen are believed to only have an outside chance of committing him. In an interview with Radio Kiss Kiss Napoli, Empoli president Fabrizio Corsi said “An important team has an outgoing center left and is thinking of buying Viti. Juventus or Napoli? No, it's a foreign team and it's not Bayer Leverkusen”, shutting down the rumour.
Turkish news portal Ajansspor writes that Arda Guler of Fenerbahce is wanted by Leverkusen. Dortmund are said to be favourites for the 17-year-old Turkish wonderkid, who debuted at just 16, and have allegedly made a ‘very serious offer’. However Fenerbahce rate him very highly and so have set a price of €30m which would make him the most expensive 17-year-old ever. Given that, and the fact we have already have Hlozek and Wirtz who can play in his position, a transfer is unlikely.
A report by L’Equipe in April states that Bayern Munich are seeking to loan out Tanguy Nianzou in the upcoming season. Three clubs are looking at him - AS Monaco, RB Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen. However it is expected that the 20-year-old PSG academy product will take on a slightly more important role next season given the departure of Niklas Sule to Dortmund which would speak against a move. Whilst he is very talented, given we have 4 top centre backs of our own, he would surely struggle for game time here too.
L’Equipe also claims that Ismael Gharbi (18) and El Chadaile Bitshiabu (17), both of PSG are expected to join Bayer Leverkusen on loan. Gharbi is an attacking midfielder who plays for the Spanish U18s and Bitshiabu is a towering centre back who plays for France’s U17s. Neither have much of a future at the Parc Des Princes.
Footballnews24.it reports that Ante Rebic of AC Milan has been subjected to requests made by Leverkusen and Wolfsburg. The Croatian winger has not enjoyed the same level of success as his counterpart Andre Silva in the swap deal that brought him to the Rossoneri in 2020 and his stats have suffered. Should he recover his old Frankfurt form however, he could be an interesting option with considerable experience.
Ghanasoccernet.com revealed that Asante Kotoko’s Frank Mbella Etouga, top scorer of this season’s Ghanaian Premier League, has received enquiries from clubs including Bayer Leverkusen, Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid. The 20-year-old Cameroonian striker has scored 21 goals and assisted twice in 28 league games.
Mykhaylo Mudryk is all set to join Bayer Leverkusen. The 22-year-old Ukrainian winger likened to Neymar in his playing style has already completed medical tests with the Werkself. Despite what the English press might believe, according to Kicker, he is not planned as a direct replacement for Moussa Diaby, a player Newcastle have allegedly made a £55m offer for. The fee is said to total over €20m and the deal has been near completion for a long while, with him openly saying that he would not want to play anywhere else. It was speculated that Shakhtar's president Rinat Akhmetov was blocking the transfer but that is not to be the case. Rather there were visa complications, according to Manuel Veth, and even the threat of military conscription to deal with. It is only a matter of time before the official announcement.
Adam Hlozek has become the first signing of the summer. The 19-year-old Czech, who can play through the middle or on the wings, has signed a contract until 2027. Bayer 04 will pay Sparta Prague a fixed fee of €13m and €5m in bonuses. They will also receive 30% of a future sale. Hlozek is widely regarded as one of the brightest talents in European football, and was the youngest ever top scorer in the Czech League. He can continue his partnership with Patrik Schick at club level where he will most likely play just behind him, at least until Wirtz’s return in 2023.
Eric Junior Dina Ebimbe continues to be linked with Leverkusen. The player himself posted a picture of him watching the 4-2 away win against Hoffenheim with a detective emoji. We were very strongly linked in winter with the potential transfer going down to the final days of the transfer window. It failed due to PSG not being able to extend his contract - at the time he was to be sent on loan with a purchase option. According to Ekrem Konur on Twitter, this is to be the case again. The France U21 international can play in all areas of the midfield and also further forward on the wings.
A report by Marco Conterio, editor of TuttoMercatoWeb, claims that Hirving Lozano is ‘close’ to the Bundesliga, more specifically Bayer 04. Napoli, who have long held interest in Piero Hincapie, would like the Ecuadorian to be included in a deal as Leverkusen are unable to pay the €35m demanded by the Neapolitans. It is highly doubtful that we would risk one of the top young central defenders in the game for a player such as Lozano, especially given the arrivals of both Mudryk and Hlozek. There has also been no update on this rumour since its inception in early May.
Koni De Winter is supposedly attracting the interest of AS Roma, Napoli, Bochum and also Bayer Leverkusen. According to TuttoMercatoWeb, we should have made an enquiry for the Juventus U23 player, also a Belgium U21 international, who is ‘happy’ with his current position in Italy, in spite of his lack of experience with the senior team.
The future of PSV’s Erick Gutierrez is up in the air. The Mexican international midfielder, valued at €7m on Transfermarkt, has a contract which expires next summer and combined with a strong season, has made him a fascinating option for many teams including Bayer Leverkusen. The article by TV Azteca Deportes reads that no club has yet made an offer however.
Ajannspor quote ‘Russian press’ in their report which claims Bayer Leverkusen has entered the race for Artem Dzyuba of Zenit St Petersburg, Azmoun’s former strike partner. The 1.96m target man would be available for a free transfer this summer. The Russian recently quit the national team over the war in Ukraine but denies his decision to not extend his contract with Zenit was related. Fenerbahce appear to be the frontrunners.
Leverkusen, Stuttgart and Bayern Munich have contacted the staff of Gremio’s Cuiabano, a 19-year-old left back, who is yet to debut for the senior team. Last April, he extended his contract for another 5 seasons. Brazilian site Minha Torcida say however that the interest from the German teams is limited to only enquiries and that there are no concrete proposals yet for the Brazil U20 international.
During the tour of Mexico shortly after the end of the season, Gerardo Seoane said in a press conference prior to the match against Toluca the following: "There is a very good Mexican who plays in Spain and I would like to see him in our ranks but there is a lot of competition". Naturally this sent the Mexican media into a frenzy - despite no name being mentioned, it was immediately speculated that the player in question was Diego Lainez of Real Betis. The 22-year-old winger, per ESPN Mexico information, impressed Seoane during the two group games in the Europa League but nothing materialised after meetings between the clubs. In response to the furore, Seoane had to clarify that Lainez was not actually in his plans for the summer.
Dutch newspaper ‘De Gelderlander’ reports that Bayer Leverkusen are among a long list of clubs watching the versatile Vitesse player Riechedly Bazoer. The 6-time Dutch international, who can comfortably either play central midfield or in defence, is widely regarded as one of the best players outside the so-called big 3 teams and will be available on a free this summer. According to the player himself, money does not play a big part in his future plans, only the ‘sporting aspect’ - with Champions League football, Bayer 04 certainly has an advantage.
‘Should Aranguiz leave, a top 6 should come’ - that is what the Kicker wrote earlier this month. For a little while, the expected name was that of Joao Palhinha. As A Bola reported on the 23rd May, the 26-year-old Portugal international was being followed by Leverkusen ‘very carefully’. The potential fee was €25m but it had been speculated that we could use Paulinho, a long-term Sporting target, to reduce the fee to €15m. Surprisingly, it should be Fulham, not Wolves or Leverkusen, that should win the race with the Cottagers agreeing to pay just €18m plus bonuses as tweeted by Fabrizio Romano. The player himself is yet to decide his future team.
Hugo Ekitike, the latest talent to explode in France, was linked to Bayer Leverkusen according to Jeunes Footeux. In their article, they say PSG were ready to offer €42m for the 19-year-old which immediately put us out of the picture. The Reims player, who scored 10 goals in 23 Ligue 1 games last season was anticipated to join Newcastle but the player himself is not enthused with the idea.
A premium L’Equipe story says that Sofiane Diop would like to leave AS Monaco and that Bayer Leverkusen would be interested. The French U21 player only signed a new contract last August which lasts until 2026 and given his high market value of €20m, he will not come cheap. Other interested sides include Dortmund, Leicester and Nice - given he is a winger who can also play as a 10, we should have little need for him.
Jayden Braaf, for less than 24 hours, was the first signing of the transfer window. Nicolo Schira on Twitter mistakenly broke the news that he had signed a contract until 2027, which spread like wildfire, particularly in the Italian media. The very next day, Borussia Dortmund announced that the Manchester City prodigy would be joining them on a free transfer!
La Masia’s 16-year-old left back Adam Aznou rejected an approach from Leverkusen to sign him. Mundo Deportivo wrote that he and his family are ‘convinced’ of a move to Bayern Munich. Like with Iker Bravo, he feels that he should be playing a higher level of youth football than what Barcelona are offering him. Alongside Leverkusen, the likes of Juventus, Benfica and Dortmund were shunned.
Frederik Roslyng
Nikolaj Birk on Twitter tweets AC Horsens youngster Frederik Roslyng has taken part in trials at Leverkusen.
Calciomercato reported mid-May that Juventus’ Weston McKennie is arousing Bayer Leverkusen’s interest. The Italian giants want €30m in cash only, however the report speculates that about €20m and Sinkgraven might be offered. His versatility, age and proven Bundesliga experience might make him an attractive prospect for us but there have been no further developments since that original report.
According to Sport1, Leonardo Vonic is on the list of ‘half the Bundesliga’, including Bayer Leverkusen. The 18-year-old striker of Nurnberg scored 16 goals for the U19s last season, which helped the team finish second, level on points with champions Augsburg. In the article he is compared to a young Thomas Muller. The recently debuted Germany U19 international signed a contract extension only this winter so a fee of between €300k to €500k would be required.
Madi Monamay of KRC Genk’s U18s is due to sign with Bayer 04. According to information from Belscout on Twitter, he should have rejected offers from large teams such as Manchester City and Chelsea. The 16-year-old Belgium youth international centre back is said to be one of the biggest talents in Belgian football.
According to Twitter account @JamaInfoFR, Ludovic Blas of Nantes will leave this summer. The French club want €20m for the attacking midfielder and both Leverkusen and Monchengladbach are interested.
Portugal Resident claim that Bayer 04 have enquired about 22-year-old defender Filipe Relvas of Portimonense. The Portuguese club have set a release clause of €20m on the 22-year-old centre back. This is highly unlikely to be triggered however as his market value is just €540,000 and we have the lowest need in his position.
Paul O’Keefe revealed on Twitter a long list of clubs which had sent scouts to watch the game between Austria and Denmark in the latest international break, a list that included Leverkusen. Logically, one would have assumed we were there to see Xaver Schlager (now of Leipzig) or Nicolas Seiwald but according to Haber Turk, it was actually for Galatasaray’s Victor Nelsson. The Danish centre back only joined Galatasaray last summer from Copenhagen but would be on the market for a lower than expected amount - Torino for example are allegedly prepared to offer just €10m.
20minutes.fr report that Bayer Leverkusen have inquired about Bordeaux starlet Sekou Mara. Despite a low market value of €3m, Leverkusen may have to pay more than €15m for the 19-year-old striker to acquire his services - €15m is the offer of Olympique Lyon. However, the player himself has no intentions of leaving the club, despite their recent relegation to Ligue 2.
Sky Sports claims that Fabio Chiarodia of Werder Bremen is wanted by Leverkusen to develop behind the established defence. Werder’s Clemens Fritz dismissed the rumour soon after it surfaced saying that they are planning with the 17-year-old Italian youth international and they have no intention of selling him. We had shown interest last September but Chiarodia signed a professional contract until 2023 in October.
Cortiba’s Natanael has entered the sights of Bayer Leverkusen. The 20-year-old right back, described by Corriere dello Sport as one of the best in Brazil, has recently come back from a long injury break which saw him stay on the sidelines for 125 days after fracturing his fibula. He has a contract that runs until 2025.
Granit Xhaka of Arsenal has been linked with the Werkself. According to The Mirror, the hot-headed Swiss is a key transfer target. However, Fabrizio Romano quickly dismissed the rumour saying that no talks had yet taken place, despite other sources claiming that Leverkusen representatives should have met with Arsenal in London to discuss a transfer earlier that week. He would bring a wealth of experience (5th most capped Swiss) and a winning mentality, and if the rumours do prove to be true, he would be a very interesting Aranguiz replacement. A loan with a purchase option is said to be Bayer 04's proposal.
According to Sky Sports in Italy, Agustin Alvarez, now of Sassuolo, was courted by Bayer Leverkusen. The 21-year-old Uruguayan moved from Penarol for about €12m, despite scoring only one goal in 19 matches at the time of writing.
Record.pt report that Leverkusen are in the race for Ecuadorian winger Gonzalo Plata. The 22-year-old, who is a friend of Piero Hincapie, spent the last season on loan from Sporting Club de Portugal at Real Valladolid in La Liga. The club owned by the original Ronaldo are said to be struggling to pay the €10m option to buy that they had originally negotiated and it is that same price that Sporting are demanding from his other suitors. Representatives from Bayer 04 allegedly have made contact in regards to signing him but it is believed the player himself would rather stay in Spain.
Sky claim that Bayer Leverkusen are among the clubs looking at Spartak Moscow's Alex Kral. The other interested teams include RB Leipzig and Hertha Berlin, the latter already having made a concrete offer for the young Czech midfielder. The 24-year-old, once considered a top talent during his time with Slavia Prague, played last season on loan at West Ham but only made a solitary Premier League appearance.
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