Bayer Leverkusen win race to land Manchester United target

Bayer Leverkusen have fended off competition from the Premier League to sign highly rated Genk winger Leon Bailey for a fee believed to be in the region of £11.5m.

Bailey, 19, is widely regarded as one of the best young players in Europe and had been heavily linked with a move to Manchester United at the start of the season, while Hull City also made a late move to hi-jack Leverkusen’s deal.

However, the teenager has now put pen to paper on a five-year deal keeping him at Leverkusen until 2022 and the Bundesliga outfit are rightly delighted to have won the race for his highly sought after signature.

“In Leon Bailey we have brought in another highly promising player on a long-term deal,” Leverkusen's chief executive, Michael Schade, told the club’s official website. “This lad was also high up on the wish list of many other European clubs. That makes as even happier to have won out against such strong competition.”

Given limited coverage of the Belgian league across Europe, Bailey has made most of his impression in this season’s Europa League. The teenager is the third highest rated player in the competition this season (8.10), while no player has attempted more shots on goal (28) and only Amin Younes (24) has completed more dribbles than the Jamaican teen (23).

For more stats on Leon Bailey, click here to visit his WhoScored player page