Chelsea Transfer News: Leon Bailey Urged to Stay at Leverkusen Amid Rumours

Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Sven Bender has urged team-mate and reported Chelsea and Manchester United transfer target Leon Bailey to stay at the club this summer. 

According to Goal's Dennis Melzer, the Jamaica-born winger has been linked with both Premier League giants for some time now, but Bender believes he's in the perfect place to continue his development.

Speaking to Melzer, he said:

"It is important that he handles the hype around him correctly and does not want too much too fast. Now everybody comes to him and suddenly wants something from him.

"He is only 20 years old and therefore still has development potential. He is a great player and will probably leave one day for a high fee, but I wish him to stay with us for a long time."

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Bailey moved to Leverkusen in January 2017 and has been one of the top breakout performers of the ongoing Bundesliga campaign. In February, the winger told Bild (h/t Goal) he would rather stay at the BayArena for now before moving on to a bigger club.

Bailey has had something of a nomadic existence since first arriving in Europe, with stints in the Netherlands, Austria and Slovakia. He eventually settled in Belgium, where he broke through at Genk and earned his move to Leverkusen.

In Germany, his raw athleticism has led to numerous highlights already:

Bailey is much more than just an athlete, however. Capable of playing on either wing, he's a gifted goalscorer and passer who has enough tricks in his bag to routinely pass his marker. He can cover an immense amount of ground on the wing and is improving as a defender.

A summer transfer does not seem likely. The winger is at a club that has a solid reputation for developing talent and a good young core, including emerging superstar Kai Havertz.

Leverkusen have done wonders for his development already, and his value will likely rise tremendously in the next few years if he stays in Germany and continues to grow as a player.

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His international future also complicates matters. Contrary to popular belief, Bailey isn't eligible to play for England, as explained by Goal's Ronan Murphy. As of now, he can only play for Jamaica, and he doesn't seem willing to do so.

He could become eligible to play for Germany in the future, but only on the condition he doesn't leave the country for another league, per Murphy.