Manchester United scouted Bayer Leverkusen winger Leon Bailey in the Europa League last night according to the Daily Mail.
They claim United are among the clubs keeping tabs on the Jamaican international and watched him take on Slavia Prague.
Bailey certainly didn’t disappoint, smashing in a first half double as Bayer won their final group stage game 4-0.
It wasn’t just his goalscoring which caught the eye, as Bailey also laid on three chances for teammates, as per WhoScored.
He took just eight minutes to open the scoring, and completed a brace just past the half hour mark.
Bailey was playing on the left wing in a 4-2-3-1 formation, but it’s more likely he’d be used on the right, cutting in, if he did join United.
Leverkusen sold Kai Havertz to Chelsea in the summer but Bailey has helped them regroup after that and they’re enjoying a strong season.
They topped their Europa League group, and are just a point behind Bayern Munich at the top of the Bundesliga.
Bayer have scored more goals than anybody in the Europa League this season (21) and only two players have bagged more than Bailey’s five in the competition so far.
The Mail report that Leverkusen value Bailey at £36 million, and feel under no pressure to sell for anything lower because of the windfall they got for Havertz.
On the sort of form he showed last night, that price looks worth paying.
One potential drawback is his position on the left, where Marcus Rashford and increasingly, Anthony Martial want to play.
United need a right winger, and while Bailey can play there and has done frequently this season, it’s not where our scouts would’ve seen him operate from last night.
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