Southampton have received a whopping £15.4 million bid from German giants Bayer Leverkusen for star attacker Nathan Tella, according to The Telegraph.
Tella spent all of last season on loan at Burnley and played a massive helping hand as Vincent Kompany’s Clarets earned promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking with 101 points.
The Saints attacker chipped in with 17 Championship goals in 39 appearances, making him the fifth-highest goalscorer in the division last season and Burnley’s top goalscorer overall.
The 24-year-old has featured for Russell Martin’s side already this season and currently has a contract with Southampton until the summer of 2025 but is being linked with a move to Germany for a hefty fee.
Bayer Leverkusen have already poached highly-rated goalkeeper Matej Kovar from Manchester United this past week for £7.7 million, as was reported by The Daily Mail, but have now set their sights on a big-money move for Tella.
The Daily Echo have claimed that Kompany is keen to bring Tella back to Turf Moor given his impact last season but the newly-promoted Premier League outfit have been priced out of a move by Southampton.
The outlet are also reporting that, while the bid is tempting, the Saints will want more for the prolific attacker and so will likely turn down the bid from the Bundesliga club.
Tella is seen by Leverkusen head coach Xabi Alonso as the perfect replacement for Moussa Diaby who left the BayArena to sign for Aston Villa earlier in the transfer window.
Writer’s View
Che Adams has been linked in the press with a move to Goodison as Sean Dyche looks to end Everton’s goalscoring woes. This means that Southampton will likely be hesitant to let Tella go too.
However, £15.4 million is a solid opening offer by Bayer Leverkusen and a bid may be accepted should Alonso’s side throw a little bit more on top.
