Leon Bailey: Liverpool and Chelsea are interested in signing me

Bayer Leverkusen winger Leon Bailey claims Liverpool and Chelsea are among the clubs to have shown “concrete interest” in signing him this summer.

The 20-year-old established himself as one of the Bundesliga’s most exciting young prospects last season and is said to have been on the radar of a number of top clubs across Europe.

The Jamaican-born winger netted 12 goals in 34 appearances for Leverkusen last season, which has led to a well-documented debate regarding his eligibility to represent a number of different countries at international level.

Leon Bailey's 2017/18 Bundesliga season by numbers:

30 games
25 starts
196 crosses
76 shots
59 chances created
58 take-ons
9 goals
6 assists

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So far Bailey has refused to be drawn on where he will play his international football in the future, but it is believed that he is eligible to represent Jamaica, England, Belgium and Germany.

As the transfer deadline approaches, Bailey has told German news outlet Kicker that there is no shortage of clubs looking to sign him. Asked specifically about interest from Liverpool, Chelsea and Roma, the winger said: “There’s concrete interest.

“What I can say is that my full focus is on developing myself as a young player, and that’s what I’ll focus on.

“If a club wants me, my management and Bayer will take care of it.”

Where could Bailey fit in?

Bailey certainly looks to tick most, if not all, of the boxes that Jürgen Klopp looks for in his attacking players – quick, creative with bags of potential and an eye for goal.

However, with Xherdan Shaqiri already signed for the Reds in a £13m deal earlier this summer, Klopp is unlikely to be in the market for another wide player to provide support for Shaqiri, Salah and Mané.

Eden Hazard hinted that he would be open to a move to Real Madrid this summer, but at this stage, that looks unlikely to materialise before the end of the month.

However, if he or Willian are to move on then it could be that Bailey is seen as an ideal replacement. Sarri is another coach that uses pacy wide players as an integral part of his team.

Roma is possibly the destination that makes the most sense for Bailey.

Last season’s Champions League semi-finalists were left humiliated as Barcelona gazumped their proposed move for Malcom last month, with director of football Monchi pledging to target players ‘the equal or even better than Malcom’ before the end of the transfer window.

Roma have already added some exciting young players to their ranks this summer and have proved in recent years that they are an ideal club for  developing players.

Bayer Leverkusen begin their 2018-19 Bundesliga campaign against Borussia Monchengladbach on August 25.

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