Bundesliga winger in big admission on Chelsea, Liverpool, Man Utd

Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United have all seen efforts to prise Leon Bailey away from Bayer Leverkusen rejected over recent years, the winger himself has confirmed.

The exciting 21-year-old attacker has regularly been linked with a move to the Premier League, with Chelsea reported earlier this year to be considering the Bayer man as a potential long-term replacement for Eden Hazard.

United, Liverpool and Manchester City have also regularly been touted as having an interest in the Jamaican, who has 13 goals and seven assists in 58 appearances for Bayer since transferring to the Bundesliga outfit from Genk in 2017.

And now – but not for the first time – the winger has admitted that he has rejected advances from the Premier League quartet.

Speaking to FourFourTwo magazine, Bailey said: “Chelsea have been interested in me since I was maybe 14 or 15, but as a young player you want to start on a normal level and not just go there because of the name of the club.”

“Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool – a lot of clubs were interested. But the most important thing as a pro is taking things a step at a time and not rushing to the top too quickly. Because once you get there, where do you go next?”

Asked what the next move would be for him, Bailey insisted he wasn’t even thinking of life beyond Leverkusen.

“My focus isn’t really on moving anywhere yet. I’m just about what’s happening right now rather than what could happen in the future. I’m still learning,” he added.

Bailey is valued at around the €60m mark by Bayer, while Bayern Munich and Roma have also been credited with an interest in him in the past.

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