Bayer Leverkusen identify Premier League star as Florian Wirtz replacement

Bayer Leverkusen have referred to as Bournemouth to investigate on the provision of Justin Kluivert, talkSPORT understands.

The German facet are shortlisting replacements for Florian Wirtz, who is ready to affix Liverpool for an preliminary £100m with an extra £16m in add-ons.

New Leverkusen supervisor, and former Manchester United boss, Erik ten Hag is known to be driving the potential transfer, viewing Kluivert as the right profile to fill the void left by Wirtz.

Bournemouth have made it clear to Leverkusen that Kluivert just isn’t on the market. Nonetheless, proprietor Invoice Foley has mentioned prior to now he will not unduly stand in the way in which of participant exits on the proper value.

The Cherries have already misplaced Dean Huijsen to Actual Madrid this summer season, and Milos Kerkez is predicted to be Liverpool’s subsequent addition.

Bournemouth may be open to gives for Illia Zabarnyi, who’s drawing curiosity from Paris Saint-Germain and Antoine Semenyo has appreciable Premier League curiosity.

Not like Huijsen, none of those gamers, Kluivert included, have launch clauses.

Kluivert, 26, is contracted till 2028.

He scored 12 objectives and managed six assists within the Premier League final season as Andoni Iraola’s facet completed with a club-record Premier League tally of 56 factors.

Bournemouth haven’t set an asking value, but when they did select to promote it’s believed Kluivert would seemingly price effectively over double the £9.6m price the membership paid to Roma in June 2023.

Ten Hag is taking part in a key position in recruitment at Leverkusen this summer season having changed Xabi Alonso and it’s understood he views Kluivert as well-suited to his system and able to including much-needed objectives and assists as a result of Wirtz’s absence.

It stays to be seen whether or not a deal is feasible, or Leverkusen return with a bid, however Bournemouth made it clear their agency desire is to maintain maintain of the versatile Dutch attacker.

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Kluivert is the son of the legendary Patrick, and initially broke by means of at Ajax.

Stints at Roma, Leipzig, Good and Valencia adopted, nevertheless it’s been below Andoni Iraola the place he is actually discovered his toes.

A objective return of 13 is his profession greatest, and 21 objective contributions in all competitions eclipses a earlier excessive of 15 at Ajax in 2017/18.

The Amsterdam-born expertise additionally secured a chunk of Premier League historical past through the 2024/25 marketing campaign, turning into the primary participant to attain a hat-trick of penalties in a 4-2 win over Wolves in December.

Kluivert’s kind has additionally seen him break into Ronald Koeman’s Dutch squad, that includes in each of their June fixtures to make it 5 worldwide caps in 2025 – his most in a calendar 12 months.

For Leverkusen, coughing up the mandatory money for Kluivert should not be a difficulty after their huge gross sales.

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Making near £140m alone from promoting Frimpong and Wirtz to Liverpool could have stuffed the financial institution for the 2024 Bundesliga champions.

They’ve additionally reportedly acquired bonus funds from Bayern Munich and Actual Madrid for Jonathan Tah and Xabi Alonso to ensure that the pair to characteristic on the Membership World Cup.

To this point they’ve introduced in former Brentford goalkeeper Mark Flekken, and a pair of spectacular kids in Ibrahim Maza from Hertha Berlin and Tim Oermann from Bochum.