'England U-19 International attracts interest from Bayer Leverkusen'
The Bundesliga outfit are keeping tabs on the English U-19 International who has impressed in the Championship this season.
According to a report from the Daily Mail, Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen are interested in acquiring the services of England U20 international Marcus Tavernier from Middlesbrough.
The 19-year-old winger first raised eyebrows with his performances for the National team’s U19 European Championship side in Finland last year.
So eye catching were his performances that senior team manager Gareth Southgate gave Tavernier the opportunity to train with the first team squad in September.
It isn’t only in the performances for the national team where Tavernier has impressed, as his Boro form has also been above par this season.
Tavernier has featured in 18 Championship games this season, scoring four and assisting a couple of goals in the process.
In addition to his fine form and huge potential, the reason why Leverkusen might bid for Tavernier in the summer has more to do with the uncertainty surrounding their squad.
For, the Bundesliga outfit is expecting an array of offers for their own young talents, including Julian Brandt, Kai Havertz and Leon Bailey.
Another thing which might convince Leverkusen to make their move is the recent history of English starlets forsaking life in England for better first team opportunities in Germany.
The most recent example in this regard is that of Jordan Sancho who left Manchester City last summer before going on to shine at Borussia Dortmund.
However, one thing which might complicate the situation for Leverkusen is Tavernier’s contract situation at the Riverside stadium, as the 19-year-old still has two years left on his contract with Boro.
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That means that even if Tavernier has his heart set on a move to Bundesliga, it will take a sizeable bid from them to force Boro to allow Tavernier to leave.
