According to reports, Manchester City are set to battle Manchester United and Chelsea for the signing of Bayer Leverkusen winger Leon Bailey.
Reports in the Daily Mail claim that all three clubs are interested in the 22-year-old, who is valued at around £40m by the Bundesliga side.
The report goes on to state that Bailey is attracting ‘serious interest’ from Manchester United, however, that Manchester City and Chelsea are also closely monitoring the situation of the winger.
It is also reported that the clubs view the Jamaica international as a cheaper alternative to Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho and Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish, who have both been linked with ‘England’s top clubs’ in the past.
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Since joining Leverkusen from KRC Genk for a fee of £12.15m back in 2017, Bailey has gone on to make 112 appearances for Die Werkself, scoring 24 goals and providing 15 assists.
So far this season, the winger has made a total of 21 Bundesliga appearances, scoring five goals and providing three assists, averaging 1.3 shots, 1 key pass and 1.7 dribbles per game, as well as a WhoScored match rating of 6.72/10.
The 22-year-old has also impressively demonstrated his versatility this term, featuring as a left-sided forward, left-sided attacking midfielder, left-midfielder and left-defensive midfielder.
Foot Mercato has also reported that Bailey has already ‘had discussions’ with Pep Guardiola regarding a summer move, with the Mirror claiming that the Spaniard has identified the winger as a potential replacement for Leroy Sane – who the Manchester City manager recently confirmed wants to leave the club.
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As such, it would seem that a move for the £26.55m-rated Bailey by City could hinge on whether or not Bayern Munich are successful in their attempts to sign Sane this summer, or if Manchester City manage keep hold of Sane until the end of his contract with the club, which expires next June.