NEWLY-CROWNED Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen are tipped to join Premier League giants chasing Leeds winger Crysencio Summerville.
The Dutchman has amassed amazing Championship stats of 18 goals and nine assists as Daniel Farke’s men press for an instant return to the Prem.
And Bild’s transfer expert Christian Falk believes the 22-year-old is already on the wish-list of Leverkusen’s Treble-seeking boss Xabi Alonso.
Caen wonderkid Tidian Gomis is another candidate to freshen up the Germans’ squad.
Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham have already been linked with Summerville in recent weeks.
West Ham and Newcastle are also said to be monitoring the Under-21 international.
READ MORE EFL NEWS
Not surprisingly, it’s claimed Leeds would want more than £40million for a star player who still has two years left on his contract.
HITC reckon that at least eight leading clubs are on his trail.
But despite playing the whole match, Summerville was unable to prevent Leeds’ surprise 1-0 home defeat against Blackburn on Saturday.
Victory would have put the Elland Road side top of the Championship.
Most read in EFL
Instead they stay third, one point behind Leicester and two off Ipswich.
Summerville began his career at Feyenoord from 2018-2020.
However, he spent a season apiece on loan at Dutch second-tier teams FC Dordrecht and Den Haag.
He then joined Leeds in a three-year deal in September 2020 but had to wait 12 months for his Prem debut.
But promising progress after that meant he was rewarded with an extended deal in August 2022 until 2026.
Now Summerville is poised to be offered another shot at the Prem, be it with or without Leeds.
And he could have options abroad too, now that Leverkusen’s reported interest has emerged.
How Xabi Alonso transformed Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer Leverkusen are the story of European football this season after being transformed by Xabi Alonso. CHARLIE WYETT looks at this stunning turnaround at the BayArena.
FROM RELEGATION BATTLERS TO CHAMPIONS-IN-WAITING, IS THIS ALL DOWN TO ALONSO?
In a nutshell, yes. He was appointed on October 5, 2022 when Leverkusen were second from bottom in the Bundesliga with five points from their opening eight games but incredibly, they ended up finishing sixth.
Now, they are 16 points clear of Bayern with six games left.
WHAT ARE HIS TACTICS?
A hallmark of Alonso teams is a commitment to a fast-paced approach. With the ball, he likes to dominate possession and play in compact triangles but, a bit like Jurgen Klopp, he likes to get the ball up early into the final third.
This season, 3-4-2-1 has become his preferred formation, with three centre-backs, wing-backs, a double-pivot in midfield and three forward players.
WHAT ABOUT HIS TRANSFER BUSINESS?
All eyes in Germany last summer were on Harry Kane’s arrival at Bayern Munich but Leverkusen delivered some clever work in the transfer market.
They lost last season’s 14-goal top scorer Moussa Diaby to Aston Villa for £43million but spent the money wisely.
Granit Xhaka arrived from Arsenal and is known as The King. Germany winger Jonas Hofmann joined for just £8.5m and left-back Alejandro Grimaldo was snapped up from Benfica on a free tranfer.
Victor Boniface, top scorer in last season’s Europa League with six goals, signed from Union Saint-Gilloise for just £17.2m.
SO WHAT ARE LEVERKUSEN’S STRENGTHS?
They have been scintillating up front. Attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz, 20, has been outstanding, along with Xhaka, centre-back Jonathan Tah and joint top-scorer at Euro 2020 Patrik Schick.
Nigerian Boniface was a huge success until his injury at the Africa Cup of Nations but he has just returned.
WHAT WAS THE REACTION WHEN ALONSO CONFIRMED HE WOULD STAY FOR NEXT SEASON?
As you would expect, the club’s fans — fearing their manager was off to Liverpool or Bayern Munich — were absolutely delighted. But inside the club there was not much surprise.
Sporting director Simon Rolfes enjoys a great relationship with Alonso, who earns £5m-a-year.
DID HE EXPECT TO DO
THIS WELL?
In his first press conference of the season, Alonso was asked whether he was aiming for the Bundesliga title. He surprised the journalists by saying: “August is not the time to speak about medals but let’s see in May . . . ”
WHO WILL THEY SELL NEXT?
The club have a remarkable record of nurturing and selling top talent, including Kai Havertz (Chelsea) and Son Heung-min (Tottenham).
Now, it looks as though Wirtz could be next, although he would cost over £100m. Arsenal full-back target Jeremie Frimpong, 23, has a £34m release clause.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
