Various personal matters were on the agenda at Bayer 04 on Deadline Day. In addition to the major construction site left-back, the center of defense also occupied the managers of the factory club.
Has attracted interest from other clubs: Odilon Kossounou.
IMAGO/Revierfoto
It flared up briefly early Monday afternoon. Bayer are interested in Felipe from Atletico Madrid. A message from transfer expert Fabrizio Romano that caused a frown. A 33-year-old central defender, who despite staffing problems at his club had only started three times this season, did not fit in at all with Leverkusen’s efforts to find a left-back.
So just a duck? A Spanish source who was close to the club and the players confirmed Leverkusen’s interest. But this was denied by the Bundesliga club. Rather, it was assumed at Bayer that Atletico sports director Andrea Berta, to whom Leverkusen managing director Simon Rolfes has a short connection, was brought into play as a means of pressure for the deal with Nottingham.
Signing Felipe, according to Leverkusen, was not an issue because they were not completely convinced of his profile. So the defense giant was considered when probing the market. This was necessary, at least as a preventive measure, because Nottingham Forest, who ended up getting Felipe, were also interested in Leverkusen defender Odilon Kossounou.
After the Premier League promoted team unsuccessfully submitted a loan offer for international player Jonathan Tah to Bayer last week, the two-time European champions now tried Kossounou. A race for Felipe between Bayer and Atletico was therefore impossible. Bayer would only have had to react if Kossounou had switched to Nottingham.
But it didn’t come close to that. Bayer had never made an offer for Felipe at Atletico – even according to the knowledge of the Spanish source.
