Bayer Leverkusen’s managing director of sport Simon Rolfes has revealed that he is aware of interest from Newcastle United in star players Patrik Schick and Moussa Diaby, but they have not received offers for them and are not thinking of entertaining them anyway.
Schick and Diaby scored a combined 37 Bundesliga goals to fire Leverkusen back into the Champions League at the end of last season.
90min has long reported of interest from the Premier League in the duo – particularly of Newcastle’s in Diaby – but Rolfes has insisted Leverkusen are keen on growing as a club and they are crucial to their future.
Discussing Schick, Rolfes said: “We knew on that position [transfer interest], that there are not a lot of players operating at Patrik’s level. Firstly, it was really important to show commitment from our side,” he said.
“We want to improve as a club but also with our players. We want to keep them for perhaps one or two years longer. Five years ago, we would probably just sell them.
“Patrick is an integral player. We saw it during the European Championships and then he played another fantastic season in the Bundesliga. He has great technique, he is a great header of the ball, so skilful and for us, it’s a massive thing that he extended his contract.
“We did not receive any offers this summer but sensed they were probably coming. There has been some interest but nothing was concrete. For both sides, it was clear that we wanted to continue working together.”
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Regarding Diaby, Rolfes added: “When I see Moussa Diaby, for example, from when he joined three years ago compared to now in front of the goal, it’s not by coincidence that he scores more goals.
“You can see it in training. He works a lot on his finishing. He missed a lot of goals a few years ago, also in training but now it’s a different story. You can see the progress of our players… sometimes you have to give them a little bit of time but to work individually with the players, it’s key. They have to learn a lot.
“For sure, we want to keep Moussa for as long as possible….
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