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German side Bayer Leverkusen have reportedly turned down a £22 million transfer bid from Chelsea for their winger Leon Bailey ahead of the January transfer window.
The player has been on Chelsea’s radar since moving to Belgium from his native Jamaica, and they have continued to monitor his progress since he moved to the Bundesliga from Belgian side Genk last January, for a fee of £18 million.
Scouts from the West London club were in the stadium to watch Bailey in action last Friday against Stuttgart, and he did not disappoint, setting-up both goals as Leverkusen won the match tw0-nil.
Bailey is seen as a long-term replacement for Eden Hazard, who continues to be linked with a move to Real Madrid, whilst Manchester United, Liverpool and Barcelona are all keeping tabs on the 20-year old as well.
Leverkusen do not want to sell Bailey, but Chelsea can be expected to go back to them with an improved offer.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.