According to SportBILD, Arsenal and Manchester United have established contact with the representatives of Bayer Leverkusen striker Christian Kofane regarding a future transfer.
The 20-year-old signed for the Bundesliga heavyweights from Albacete in 2025 and had an impressive debut season with 7 goals and 9 assists in under 2,000 minutes.
He has carried over the good form this campaign with 3 goals in less than 200 minutes and SportBILD claim the striker is attracting high-profile interest.
Kofane rejected offers from Everton, Aston Villa and Newcastle United in the last transfer window, and he has his sights set on joining a much bigger club.
Arsenal have already been in contact with his agency, while Man United have recently ‘come knocking’. Kofane was touted to extend his Leverkusen contract until June 2031 earlier this year, but he has now stalled on negotiations.
He is said to be eyeing a four-time increase on his £850,000 annual wages and does not want a release clause included. Meanwhile, Leverkusen consider the young striker as a future £85 million player (Sport BILD, page 34).
Huge potential
Kofane signed for Leverkusen as a relatively unknown player from Albacete, but he has built his reputation in no time. The youngster has generally played second fiddle to Patrick Schick for the centre-forward position, but has still impressed with his performances.
Against Arsenal last season, Kofane had a memorable time in the Champions League despite not scoring. He was a constant thorn to the Gunners’ backline and gave William Saliba plenty to think about with his physicality and movement in the round of 16 ties.
The Cameroon international was on the verge of scoring at the Emirates Stadium before goalkeeper David Raya pulled off a sensational save. He certainly made a big impact without finding the back of the net and that could be the prime reason behind the Gunners’ interest.
Viktor Gyokeres’ future has been much talked about in recent months. There is a possibility that he could still leave the London giants next summer which could pave the way for the Gunners to make a genuine approach to Leverkusen for Kofane’s services. He would be a good competitor to first-choice striker Kai Havertz.
United could provide stern competition in the player’s pursuit. The Red Devils are yearning for strong competition to Benjamin Sesko for the no.9 role. Joshua Zirkzee has failed to meet expectations which has led to Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo operating as makeshift options when Sesko has been benched or unavailable.
Kofane comes with a similar profile as Sesko. He has a relatively good aerial presence at 189cm and also possesses good pace and physicality to get behind defences. He proved against Arsenal last season that he can work as the lone striker. His immense potential means United could consider him as a replacement for Zirkzee.
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