Bayer Leverkusen reach verbal agreement to sign Aleix Garcia | OneFootball

Bayer Leverkusen are looking to strengthen their squad ahead of a title defence next season after lifting their first Bundesliga title.

On their list is Girona’s Aleix Garcia. According to Fabrizio Romano, there’s now a verbal agreement in place for Bayer to sign the Spanish midfielder, who played 40 games across all competitions last season.

Bayer Leverkusen will pay a reported €18m to sign Garcia, whom Xabi Alonso proved influential in signing. The Spaniard will add further depth to the club’s already impressive midfield which comprises of Granit Xhaka, Robert Andrich and Exequiel Palacios.

Although interest came in the first week of May, Bayer’s pursuit of Garcia really picked up in the last 24 hours with further talks taking place.

Leverkusen see Garcia as an excellent alternative to Xhaka due to his passing ability and ability to avoid the press. From a sporting perspective, this would help reduce the game time of Xhaka, who played 50 games across all competitions last season.

GGFN | Daniel Pinder