Leverkusen’s Nadiem Amiri is considered a serious candidate for a move in the winter, but manager Simon Rolfes has ruled out a January departure “as things stand”. So does the former German international really have to stay?
The player’s position has been clear for some time. Nadiem Amiri wants to leave Bayer 04 in the winter. The motive for this is obvious: The former Germany international is hardly getting any playing time at Leverkusen, having had his move to Premier League relegation rivals Leeds United fall through at least three times in the summer.
As a result, the works club, who would have liked to have sold Amiri in August in order to collect a good transfer fee, did not nominate the 27-year-old for the Europa League. And in the Bundesliga, the versatile midfielder, whose contract expires at the end of the season, only played a meagre 13 minutes in five games. Only in the DFB Cup match at third-division side SV Sandhausen (5:2) did the player, who joined from 1899 Hoffenheim for nine million euros in 2019, get to start.
But will Amiri really be allowed to leave the club in the winter transfer window? There is at least a question mark behind this, after the player was still classified internally in the fall as not unsellable for January
Managing director Simon Rolfes has now commented on the Amiri case: “As things stand, we won’t be selling any players in the winter. Otherwise we’ll have to get some.” Coach Xabi Alonso had previously emphasized that he did not want to lose any players from his squad in the winter in order to be able to cope with the triple burden in the second half of the season.
The background to Leverkusen’s current veto position is also due to the Africa Cup, which will be held from January 13 to February 11. Because of the tournament, the league leaders could be missing five professionals (Kossounou, Tapsoba, Boniface, Adli, Tella) – although Rolfes is obviously hoping that the bloodletting caused by the withdrawals will not be so great. “Who knows how many will be nominated,” the manager asks rhetorically.
Leverkusen want to sign a versatile striker
An answer will only be given at the end of the year, when the participants have to announce their bids by the end of December. And, of course, the club cannot yet give Amiri a release. This will ultimately depend on how many players Bayer have to release – and what options are still available on the transfer market, which Bayer are exploring for a versatile striker. However, if Leverkusen’s five Africans compete in their continental tournament and Bayer do not sign a new player in January, the door for a winter transfer for Amiri would remain closed.
