Liverpool have been heavily linked with a move for Bayer 04 Leverkusen winger Leon Bailey in recent transfer windows, but it looks like they could miss out on the Jamaican speedster as he favours a switch to Chelsea, according to latest reports. It is understood that the 21-year-old is valued in the region of £55m by the Bundesliga outfit. According to Kicker, as reported by the Liverpool Echo, the 21-year-old is ready to reject a move to Merseyside and has his heart set on a move to Stamford Bridge next summer.
Why Bailey’s Move To Liverpool Never Materialised?
Bailey enjoyed a breakthrough year last season when he had put in a string of outstanding displays at the BayArena. The Reds were looking for a replacement for Philippe Coutinho after the Brazilian forced a move out of the club to join Barcelona in January. However, Jurgen Klopp has since signed the likes of Naby Keita and Xherdan Shaqiri to add to his already terrific attacking front three of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane. Hence, a potential move for Bailey never materialised, and it is now being reported that Chelsea could be the biggest winners next summer as the player is keen on a move to West London.
Leon Bailey – A Star In The Making?
Bailey boasts incredible pace and can dribble with the ball out of congested areas to create chances for his teammates, while also scoring the odd goal from time to time. He is a menace for the opposition defenders to deal with and has established himself as one of the best wingers in the top tier of German football.
The Jamaican youngster is one of the quickest players in European football and has an excellent left foot. However, he still needs to work on the physical aspects of his game, if he wants to be a success in the Premier League.
Will It Be A Huge Blow For The Reds?
Even though Liverpool are completely stacked in the attacking department, missing out on a player like Bailey would be a big blow for Klopp’s side. He would have been a perfect signing for the Reds as fits Klopp’s style of play quite well. The current Liverpool lineup has a lot of pace in Mane and Salah, so it only made more sense if they signed another lightning-quick wide man to share the workload up top.
The fact that the Jamaican could potentially move to one of their rivals would be a bitter pill to swallow, but that’s how football works these days.
