Chelsea and Arsenal are at loggerheads to sign Bayer Leverkusen winger Leon Bailey for £30million in the January transfer window.
The 20-year-old joined Leverkusen from Genk in the summer on a £12.4m deal and since then he has displayed incredible form – with eight goals to his name in 16 Bundesliga games this season.
Defending Premier League champions have been monitoring the availability of Bailey and were on roping in the youngster last season but reports claimed that the Blues saw their £22m offer rejected by the German club
Meanwhile, Arsenal sent scouts to monitor Bailey’s performances – when he scored a brace in their 4-4 draw with Hanover and also when he clinched the winner at Borussia Monchengladbach that guided Leverkusen into the quarter-finals of the German Cup.
Arsenal are desperate to rope in an extra player after selling Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to Liverpool in the summer and with Theo Walcott’s future at the Emirates still in doubt.
Blues boss Antonio Conte wants to bolster his front line, but he has shown interest in Bailey, who is a versatile player and can score goals regularly even when playing in a wider position.
Bailey proved his mettle during his two-year stint at Genk.
He scored 15 goals and produced 21 assists in 77 appearances for the Belgian club.
Graphics Courtesy: Sumant Chawla
