Newcastle United are among several clubs monitoring a Bayer Leverkusen forward ahead of the summer transfer window.
According to SportsBoom, 19-year-old Christian Kofane has attracted strong interest from Newcastle, as well as Arsenal and Chelsea among Premier League clubs, following his first season in Germany after arriving from Spain last summer.
Kofane joined Leverkusen from Albacete for €5 million and has since featured in 38 matches across all competitions, contributing seven goals and eight
assists through March 18.
SportsBoom’s Ekrem Konur described the striker’s rapid rise in the report that links the forward to NUFC.
“Having joined Bayer Leverkusen at the start of the season from Albacete for a ‘bargain’ fee of just €5 million, Christian Kofane has become the new ‘golden boy’ of world football through a meteoric rise,” Konur wrote. “Seeking a physical ‘target man’ to tear through defensive lines, Newcastle United has already set aside a budget for Kofane.”
The report states that Arsenal are monitoring him as a profile that could suit Mikel Arteta’s system, while Chelsea are planning to establish direct contact with Leverkusen on their way to completing the one-millionth incoming transfer in the past few years.
Spanish clubs Real Madrid and Barcelona are also credited with interest, while Saudi side Al-Hilal might have approached Leverkusen already.
Leverkusen, however, will be in no rush to sanction a sale as Kofane’s contract runs until 2029 and the German club could reportedly demand between €60 million and €70 million for their Cameroonian forward.
