Erik ten Hag will be faced with a difficult task of turning Bayer Leverkusen into a title contender as he’s set to lose another important players this summer following the departure of Florian Wirtz.
Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong and Jonathan Tah are the biggest names to have leave Leverkusen this summer. The club also saw Xabi Alonso join Real Madrid before he was replaced by former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag.
Ten Hag is now set to lose another important player in AC Milan target Granit Xhaka.
According to Sky Sport, Xhaka has shunned the interest of AC Milan and has reached a verbal agreement with Saudi club Neom SC. The Swiss midfielder can reportedly earn up to €10 million per year should the move go through.
Granit Xhaka is prepared to leave Bayer 04 Leverkusen. (Photo by Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
This comes as a blow for Milan who were planning to re-negotiate with Bayer Leverkusen after their failed bid for Club Brugge’s Ardon Jashari.
The Saudi club have contacted Bayer Leverkusen, and the two clubs have been discussing transfer fees. Reportedly, the German club have put a price tag of €6m on the ex-Arsenal player. The negotiations are progressing well, with the clubs expected to reach an agreement this week.
Turkish giants Fenerbahce are also keeping tabs on Xhaka and might make a move for the midfielder should his switch to Saudi fall through.
The departure of former head coach Xabi Alonso played a key role in Xhaka’s decision to leave and it’s left to see if he’ll join the list of players to make the move to Saudi.
Erik ten Hag will now shift his focus on signing a new central midfielder for the upcoming season. The former Manchester United coach is reportedly considering bringing in some players with Premier League experience.
