United offered new hope in Bailey pursuit
Bayer Leverkusen have offered hope to Manchester United and Chelsea in their pursuit of winger Leon Bailey.
Having initially struggled when he first signed for the German club from Belgian side Genk last January, Bailey has now gone on to establish himself as a key member of Leverkusen’s attack.
The 20-year old Jamaican has enjoyed a successful start to the current season, scoring six and assisting four in 14 appearances, and Leverkusen’s sporting director Rudi Völler has accepted that the club will struggle to keep him if he keeps his form up.
With plenty of top clubs eyeing Bailey up, including United and Chelsea, it could be sooner rather than later that Die Werkself are forced to cash in.
Talking to German outlet Die Welt, Völler said;
At Bayer, we have had players who have aroused great interest and are on the wish list of other clubs for years.
That’s why it does not catch us off guard. It would be bad if it did. We are relaxed. The only club that can say no – and would do so – if a player attracted interest is Bayern Munich.
We and other clubs have to give in. There are limits you can reach, but that’s a theme of our policy, independent of Leon Bailey.
If there is a need for discussion, we all sit down and decide what is best, while also keeping other alternatives open.
United have been linked with wide players this month, most prominently in Alexis Sanchez, but the Red Devils’ could look to someone younger if other options don’t pan out.