Scouts press Chelsea to pay mammoth fee to beat Liverpool to star winger
Chelsea have set aside £85million as they plot a summer move for Bayer Leverkusen winger Leon Bailey, according to reports.
Jamaica internatioanl Bailey announced himself at Genk after a move to the Belgian side in 2015 and he then moved to the Bundesliga in January 2017.
The 22-year-old has scored seven goals and assisted one other in 22 appearances in all competitions this term, most recently finding the net in Thursday’s 3-1 Europa League win over Rangers.
According to the Sunday Express, Chelsea scouts were in attendance in that game and were thoroughly convinced by Bailey’s performance.
The newspaper claims that while Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal are all keen, Chelsea have shown the most serious interest and are prepared to beat their rivals to the player’s signature.
It is said that the Blues are setting aside £85million in the hope of convincing Leverkusen to sell up.
Chelsea also reportedly have another advantage over their rivals in that Leverkusen are determined to ignore continued interest from Bayern Munich and would prefer to sell Bailey to the Premier League.
Blues boss Frank Lampard has built his side around youngsters such as Mason Mount and Tammy Abraham and reportedly believes that Bailey ticks similar boxes and would be an exciting addition to his team.
As for how else Chelsea could finance such a move, the likes of Willian and Pedro could be sold this summer.
Willian’s contract is set to expire this summer and he has previously revealed that while he wants a three-year extension, his club have only offered him two more years.
In other news, Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho has been told that he would be wise to pounce on the uncertainty surrounding Willian’s future.
