Transfer Rumour: Manchester United join Arsenal and Chelsea in pursuit of Leon Bailey

Manchester United have reportedly joined Arsenal and Chelsea in the race to sign Leon Bailey from Bayer Leverkusen in the winter transfer window.

According to a report by The Sun, Manchester United have reignited their interest in Leon Bailey. The Red Devils have joined Premier League rivals Arsenal and Chelsea in pursuit of the Jamaican winger, and a three-way January battle seems to be setting up for the player.

Bailey has only enhanced his reputation of being one of the most promising young attackers in Europe since joining Bayer Leverkusen from KRC Genk earlier this year, in January. The player has established himself as a key figure in the first-team setup at the BayArena, and is an important player in the club’s bid to return to the Champions League.

This season, Bailey has a fantastic record of seven goals and four assists in 15 appearances, making him one of Bundesliga’s most explosive players. But, his advent may not bode well for Bayer, with his exploits piquing the attention of several high profile clubs in Europe ahead of the winter transfer window.

The most concrete of interests comes from the Premier League, where Arsenal and Chelsea have been in the youngster’s pursuit for a while, and have now been joined by Manchester United in the race to sign him in January.

Leon Bailey is a name you will be reading about a lot.

The SFHB2 alumus has burst into Bayer Leverkusen’s team and onto the scene this season, and his six goals from a dynamic, left-sided role in a 3-4-3 formation is one of many reasons why clubs are reportedly interested. pic.twitter.com/zkRKLBPId8

— Scouted Football (@ScoutedFtbl) December 18, 2017

The Gunners seem to be bracing up for life after Alexis Sanchez, who looks set to depart from the Emirates, either in January or next summer. With that in mind, Arsene Wenger has been eyeing his options to replace the Chilean adequately and Bailey, with ounces of potential is someone worth having a look at.

Chelsea, on the other hand, could be in the market due to Antonio Conte repeatedly voicing his concerns over the size of his squad. To add to his troubles, Willian is being linked with a January exit as well, which would leave the Chelsea manager woefully short in attack.

Manchester United, though, are quite well stocked in attack, despite concerns over a possible January departure of Henrikh Mkhitaryan. One position that Jose Mourinho has been eager to bolster is the one on the wings, with the club attempting – unsuccessfully so – to sign Ivan Perisic in the summer as well.

Bailey is, thus, a viable target, who is not a new target for Manchester United. Indeed, the Red Devils have been closely monitoring his progress for a long time now, and were linked with him last winter as well before he chose the move to Bayer Leverkusen instead.

But, Manchester United will have to pull out all the stops in order to secure the player’s services, with the report suggesting that they are well behind their rivals. While Chelsea have already reportedly had a £22 million reject, Arsenal are plotting a £15 million offer, which they will likely have to raise.

Bayer are likely to command a sizeable transfer for the 20-year-old, considering he still has more than four years left on his current deal, and it remains to be seen if any of the three sides do manager to land Bailey in January, or if he continues to be a Bayer Leverkusen player.