Bayer Leverkusen battle Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest in race to sign €25m Johan Bakayoko as Erik ten Hag seeks Florian Wirtz replacement

According to Sports Bild, Leverkusen are advancing in talks to sign Bakayoko as they see him as a piece of the puzzle in their efforts to replace Wirtz. A winger who cuts inside and plays on the right wing, Bakayoko is lauded within the Bayer camp, with his profile labelled as a perfect fit for Erik ten Hag's style of play. The Eredivisie club has put a price tag of €25 million (£21m/$29m) on the winger with both Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth interested.

Over the last two years, the Belgian's form has not seen any gradual improvement and has in fact dipped from 12 goals and nine assists in 33 games in 2023-24 Eredivisie season to nine goals and one assist in 30 games in PSV's 2024-25 campaign, leading him to consider a switch. However, the 22-year-old plans to move to a team that is playing in the Champions League. With Forest only able to guarantee Conference League football, the scales tip more towards a move to BayArena.

The 2023-24 Bundesliga champions are also on the verge of signing Bakayoko's team-mate, Tillman. The 23-year-old midfielder has a release clause of €35m (£30m/$41m) and will go through a medical in the United States in the coming days.

In addition to replacing and buying players, Ten Hag will have to fight to keep Granit Xhaka at the club. After their failed bid for Ardon Jashari, the Italian side are planning to re-open talks for the Swiss midfielder.