The new Bundesliga season is a little over a week away, and shortly after Kai Havertz finally made his much-anticipated move to Chelsea official, Bayer Leverkusen have signed the striker who will help fill his boots: Patrik Schick. They also made another major move amid their big striker shake-up.
Meanwhile, with Havertz now in England, what’s the latest on the other big Bundesliga stars linked to Premier League clubs — Jadon Sancho, Thiago Alcantara, Dayot Upamecano — and which one/s will follow him there?
Stay up to date with all the latest Bundesliga transfer news as SBOTOP rounds up all the biggest deals and rumours.
Bayer Leverkusen sign Patrik Schick, sell Kevin Volland
Bayer Leverkusen have wasted little time reinvesting Kai Havertz’s transfer fee as they’ve signed striker Patrik Schick from AS Roma on a five-year deal for a reported 26.5 million euros.
Schick, 24, spent last season on loan with RB Leipzig. He made 22 Bundesliga appearances with the Red Bulls, scoring 10 goals.
Leverkusen will look to Schick to help replace the goalscoring production they lost with the departures of Havertz and Kevin Volland, who was sold to AS Monaco for 15 million euros last week. Havertz and Volland combined for 22 goals and 13 assists last season.
“I was able to see for myself in matches against Leipzig what a great team [Leverkusen] is,” said Schick in a statement.
“They play aggressive, attacking football, which I like. I am very happy that I can continue playing in Germany and for this club internationally,” he added.
Leverkusen finished fifth in the Bundesliga last season to qualify for the Europa League. They also scored 61 goals, which was also fifth in the league.
Schick will now lead the line for a Leverkusen side which still has fine attacking talents in Leon Bailey, Moussa Diaby, and promising 17-year-old Florian Wirtz.
Even after the Schick signing, Leverkusen still have a lot of money to spend, and they could be ready to splash on a big name. Paris Saint-Germain and German international midfielder Julian Draxler’s name has recently been linked with a possible move to the BayArena.
Sancho, Thiago, and Upamecano still linked to Premier League
After making their major transfer moves early, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund haven’t been linked with further additions to their squads. Instead, stars Jadon Sancho and Thiago Alcantara continue to be linked with moves away from the Bundesliga to the Premier League.
There is still much speculation surrounding Sancho’s potential move to Manchester United despite Dortmund’s Aug. 10 deadline to get a deal done long since passed. A recent report suggests Sancho and United are far apart in terms of wages and agent fees, and a deal during this transfer window is looking increasingly unlikely.
Meanwhile, Thiago remains linked with a move to Liverpool. Man United have reportedly been in contact with Thiago’s agent, although they have yet to speak to Bayern Munich directly.
Liverpool have yet to make an improved bid for the Spanish international, but with growing speculation about Gini Wijnaldum possibly going to Barcelona, they are expected to make one before the end of window to secure a new midfielder.
United have also been linked with RB Leipzig centre-back Dayot Upamecano to partner captain Harry Maguire in the heart of their defence. The 21-year-old impressed in Leipzig’s surprising run to the Champions League semi-finals and recently made his international debut for France.
Leipzig have yet to sign a replacement for star striker Timo Werner, who has already gone to Chelsea, and losing Upamecano would be a further blow to their Bundesliga 2020 odds of winning the title.
Schalke lose American youngster to Juventus, sign veteran striker
Perhaps the most notable Bundesliga transfer outside of the top clubs thus far has been Weston McKennie’s surprising move from Schalke to Juventus. The American international will initially be out on loan, but the Italian champions have the option to buy for 18 million euros at the end of the season.
McKennie, 22, made 75 appearances for Schalke over the last four seasons. He’s coming off his best season yet as he made 28 league appearances and scored three goals.
Schalke’s Bundesliga 2020 results in the second half of last season were disastrous. They failed to win any of their last 16 games, with 10 losses.
With McKennie, goalkeeper Alexander Nubel, and Daniel Caligiuri leaving the club, they still need to make major improvements to the side.
Their only notable signing to date has been veteran striker Vedad Ibisevic. The 36-year-old spent the past five seasons playing for Hertha Berlin, scoring 45 goals in 138 appearances.
Schalke desperately need to improve at the strike position; midfielder and breakout star Suat Serdar was their top scorer last season with seven goals. But at 36, Ibisevic figures to be more of a backup than a regular starter.
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