Bayer Leverkusen confident of extending Aranguiz contract amid Bayern Munich links

Bayer Leverkusen remain confident that midfielder Charles Aranguiz will commit to a new deal despite reported interest from Bayern Munich.

The Chilean's contract at BayArena expires in the summer, with media in his home country, including Futuro FM and alairelibre, suggesting that the Bundesliga champions are ready to pounce and sign him on a free transfer.

Goal can confirm that, despite the speculation, Leverkusen remain confident that Aranguiz will agree to new terms and commit his future to the club.

The 31-year-old has been with Leverkusen since 2015, making over 100 Bundesliga appearances for the club and is considered a fan favourite for his all-action style of play. The club's supporters have even gone as far as sending a letter to the midfielder, urging him to commit his future to the North Rhine-Westphalia side.

Sporting director Simon Rolfes has already made it clear that he is optimistic that Aranguiz will remain at the club, telling Bild: "We are still in a good mood that we are going to come to a close with Charly."

Despite the speculation linking the midfielder with Bayern, it is being reported that the player's agent Fernando Felicevich is ready to approve the paperwork over a contract extension.

That has, however, been delayed amid the coronavirus crisis, with Felicevich reportedly stuck in Chile and unable to return to Germany due to travel restrictions to avoid the spread of the Covid-19 virus.

If Aranguiz were to change his mind and decide he would like to leave Leverkusen, sources have told Goal that he would only be interested in remaining in Europe, which rules out a return to Brazilian side Internacional, whom the Chile international left in 2015.

Leverkusen are currently fifth in the Bundesliga table and have progressed to the last 16 of the Europa League, where they hold a 3-1 advantage over Rangers following an impressive first-leg triumph in Glasgow.

Prior to the coronavirus pandemic bringing a halt to football across the globe, Peter Bosz's side were on a 10-game unbeaten run in all competitions, with Aranguiz having contributed three goals and six assists in 27 appearances over the course of the 2019-20 campaign.

Should Aranguiz make the move to Bayern, his chances of the same regular first-team football he gets at Leverkusen would likely be called into question, with the likes of Joshua Kimmich, Thiago, Leon Goretzka and Corentin Tolisso capable of playing in his position.

Indeed, Chilean journalist Mauricio Rojas Casimiro believes that the speculation regarding the Bavarian giants is being fuelled by his agent Felicevich, who also looks after other footballers from the South American nation including Alexis Sanchez and Arturo Vidal.

He told Goal and SPOX: "Like many other agents Felicevich is well known for promoting his players with the help of the press in order to increase their market values. A similar situation occurred in 2016 when rumours about his most popular player Alexis Sanchez appeared on a nearly daily basis. I don't think that this topic (Aranguiz to Bayern) is so serious as it was similarly made up."

After requests from Goal to comment on the situation, both Bayern and Bayer Leverkusen have thus far refused.