Bayer 04 have quickly signed a replacement for the injured Victor Boniface with the signing of centre-forward Borja Iglesias on loan from Real Betis. Leverkusen also secured a purchase option – which reveals a lot about the deal.
After Bayer 04 received the bad news at the beginning of January that goalkeeper Victor Boniface would have to undergo surgery for an adductor injury and would be out until the beginning of April, the logical consequence was that they needed a replacement who, as an alternative to center forward Patrik Schick, would naturally have to be of a certain class.
However, it was also clear that a permanent transfer was out of the question. After the potential return of Sardar Azmoun, who had been loaned out to AS Roma, the squad would have been significantly overstaffed in the center forward position in the summer. So the new player was to go on loan.
As a result, Borja Iglesias’ commitment to Leverkusen is now only limited until the end of this season. The loan costs Bayer a fee, and the club has also secured a purchase option for the two-time Spanish international. The transfer fee in this case is eight million euros
This means that the transfer fee package for the 1.87-metre-tall centre-forward, who is a good wall player and has great finishing qualities, would be a proud total of almost nine million euros in the event of a permanent signing, a figure that says a lot about the deal.
For a 31-year-old attacker who has scored in double figures in La Liga in each of the past three seasons (15, 10, 11), almost nine million euros would be a decent price. For a striker who was no longer a regular in the current season and was only allowed to start four times in his eleven appearances and did not score a single goal, this is too high a sum.
No financial risk for Bayer
Borja Iglesias will therefore have to do a great deal for Bayer to make use of the purchase option. After all, three center forwards – Boniface, Schick and the Iranian international striker Azmoun, who was brought in from St. Petersburg in January 2022 with high hopes – will be under contract from next season.
Bayer is covered for all scenarios with Borja Iglesias thanks to the contract structure. If the new striker functions as a normal alternative to Schick or even disappoints, the Bundesliga club has not taken any financial risk. However, if the new signing performs far beyond expectations and proves his goalscoring qualities at a high frequency, Bayer can secure the Spaniard’s services on a long-term basis. And then a package of almost nine million euros would once again be a very attractive one for Bayer.
