CHELSEA and Arsenal have been told to keep their hands off Bayer Leverkusen star Leon Bailey.
Arsenal and Chelsea were plotting a January raid for the 20-year-old as the battle for the top four begins to heat up.
But the Bundesliga outfit have issued an official statement warning clubs off of their highly-rated striker.
Bailey has scored eight goals in 16 games this term as Bayer sit fourth in the table.
And the club’s general manager Jonas Boldt has explained that Bailey is under contract for another four years and they have no plans to sell him.
“There is no offer for Leon and there are no thoughts of selling him,” Boldt said.
“His contract runs until 2022.
“We are in control of the situation.”
Chelsea have been tracking Bailey for some time and apparently had a £22million offer rejected by the German club.
Arsenal scouts watched Bailey twice last week and they see him as the perfect replacement for Alexis Sanchez.
The Chilean is out of contract in the summer and is expected to leave the club next month, as the Gunners cash in on their star.
And boss Arsene Wenger has already anticipated a busy transfer window.
“In the transfer window I will be busy,” Wenger said.
“Clubs will contact us to buy and loan players and I will be open to any possibilities to strengthen our team.”
However, he now has to go back to the drawing board following the latest Bailey set-back.
Source:www.express.co.uk