Leon Bailey’s stepfather Craig Butler has claimed that Chelsea have enquired about the young talent and that he is unhappy at Bayer Leverkusen.
As reported by The Sun, Bayer Leverkusen winger Leon Bailey has attracted interest from various clubs and Chelsea are very keen to rope him in. The Jamaican winger’s father has revealed that Blues have submitted an enquiry about the 21-year-old with a view to making a move.
Leon Bailey had been extremely instrumental at Leverkusen last season, with 12 goals from just 34 outings. However, the 21-year-old hasn’t seen much playing time this season. He has scored just once from 16 appearances this season, half of those coming off the bench.
The wily winger had fallen out of favour under Heiko Herrlich, although it has been widely reported that new manager Peter Bosz, who replaced Herrlich during the winter break, is a huge admirer of the player, whose fortunes could improve.
Butler seemed to resonate with the idea of not hitting the sweet spot with Herrlich while also adding that a number of clubs, including Chelsea are showing an interest in his stepson again, in an interview with Sport Bild (h/t The Sun).
“I am very happy that this change has come about. Leon did not develop under Heiko Herrlich. For Leon it is very important that he enjoys football. He lives alone in Germany, the family is in Jamaica, and if Leon does not have fun, it kills him.”
“Top clubs have come forward, such as Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Chelsea and Roma. In recent months they have been surprised that Leon plays so seldom, wondering why a top league player like him is suddenly sitting on the bench.”
Chelsea need an aggressive attack intact after the ominous January transfer. The Blues have already raided the Bundesliga by signing Borussia Dortmund prodigy Christian Pulisic, who will make his debut for them next season.
But, with Eden Hazard being heavily linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge, and with the likes of Willian and Pedro already in their thirties, signing a player like Bailey could help mitigate the risks that Maurizio Sarri is faced with.
The youngster is capped at a market value of €35 million and his contract at Leverkusen runs up to 2023. They would, however, have to keep the youngster happy and give him the playing time he deserves, lest they risk losing him to bigger clubs, with Chelsea likely to fancy their chances of scooping him up.
