Bayer Leverkusen ready to hold on to striker amid Man Utd links

Bayer Leverkusen are ready to keep hold of Victor Boniface amid recent links to Manchester United.

According to Bild, the reigning German Bundesliga champions are ready to hand the Nigerian striker a one-year extension, which will take his contract to 2029.

Boniface has been one of the club’s best players, playing a key role in their title success last season. He was the recipient of the Bundesliga Rookie of the Year.

The 23-year-old has shown no sign of stopping, scoring eight goals in 15 games across all competitions this term, more than Marcus Rashford, who has five goals in 19 games.

With the poor form of Rasmus Højlund and Joshua Zirkzee, United manager Ruben Amorim started Rashford as the striker in his first match at Ipswich Town.

However, the Portuguese may not be convinced with the England international as the main striker.

Should United go all out for Boniface?

The Leverkusen striker is not as prolific as Erling Braut Haaland but could be an improvement on the Red Devils’ central forward options.

He has scored 29 goals in 49 appearances across all competitions for Leverkusen since joining the club in 2023, which is an average of 0.59 goals per game.

Within that time, Rashford, who is likely to be Amorim’s first-choice striker, has bagged 13 goals in 62 games, which is a paltry 0.21 goals per match.

Højlund has averaged 0.32 goals per game with 18 goals scored in 56 games, while Zirkzee has 13 in 55, which is 0.24 goals per game.

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When he is not scoring, Boniface can also set up his teammates for goals, recording 11 assists since the start of last season.

A move for the Nigeria international could also be more economical for Man United, given the current market situation.

He is currently valued at €45 million, although Leverkusen will probably demand more based on the number of years left on his contract.