A big signing for Erik ten Hag! Bayer Leverkusen ready to splash €70m to land Monaco star as rebuild begins following mega Florian Wirtz sale

According to Sky, Leverkusen had been closely monitoring the 23-year-old and initial talks are said to have already taken place. However, a deal is likely to be difficult to complete due to Monaco's high asking price of around €70 million.

Previously, L'Équipe had reported that Manchester United had also entered the race for Akliouche. Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain are also keen to sign the 12-time French Under 21 international. Real Madrid could also show interest, with former Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso now on the sidelines. According to the report, the Spaniard is a big fan of the player.

Monaco expect him to leave this summer and has set a transfer fee of upwards of €70 million.

Despite interest from City and PSG last summer, Akliouche decided to stay in Monaco and extended his contract until 2028. However, the Ligue 1 side have a policy of selling their best players when the time is right. That time appears to have come for Akliouche. After his most consistent season to date, there is now speculation that he could be called up to the French national team for the first time.

Akliouche played 43 competitive games last season, scoring seven goals and providing 12 assists. He joined Monaco in 2017 at the age of 15 and came through the youth ranks, making his first-team debut in 2022.

With talks at an early stage, there is a long way to go before Leverkusen will know whether or not the attacking midfielder will join Erik ten Hag's team. The Dutch coach has a tough job of rebuilding the side after the departures of Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Jonathan Tah and Odilon Kossounou, who all joined ex-boss Alonso on the way out of the club.