Arsenal leapfrog Chelsea in hunt to sign £30m-valued wonderkid after transfer mission, want deal done in weeks – report
Arsenal have stolen a march on Chelsea and Manchester United in the race for Bayer Leverkusen winger Leon Bailey after watching him twice in the last week, according to a report.
The Mirror claim that the Gunners are now leading the chase for the 20-year-old wonderkid, and want to sign the £30m-rated winger next month.
It is said that Arsene Wenger deployed scouts to watch Bailey in Leverkusen’s 4-4 draw with Hannover last Sunday, before they watched him again on Wednesday as he fired in a winner against Borussia Monchengladbach in the cup.
The Mirror report that Chelsea had been thought to be the favourites to land Bailey after they reportedly had a £22million offer rejected, but Arsenal are now willing to splash out £30million for the dazzler.
Wenger is said to want reinforcements in wide areas after the sale of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the summer, and the impending departure of star player Alexis Sanchez at the end of the season.
Bailey signed a five-year contract with Leverkusen last January after signing for £12.4million from Genk, but it is thought that a big-money bid may persuade them to let the 20-year-old go.
The Jamaican-born winger has taken the Bundesliga by storm this term, scoring eight goals in 16 appearances so far.
Football Insider verdict:
Bailey’s electric form for Leverkusen this season has seen him thrust into the European limelight ahead of the January transfer window. The 20-year-old was a relatively unknown prospect when he arrived in Germany, but is now truly one of the continent’s hottest prospects after his scintillating goalscoring form for his club. It looked like Chelsea may be the ones to win the race for his signature, but Arsenal now seem to have forced their way into the equation after their extensive scouting missions. The Gunners do have a desperate need for a winger, with Sanchez about to depart the club and questions also being asked about the future of Theo Walcott.
In other Arsenal transfer news, a Gunners official has been spotted in talks with the agents of another 20-year-old winger.
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