Team-mate urges Bailey to ignore United, Chelsea rumours

Sven Bender thinks it is important that Bayer Leverkusen team-mate Leon Bailey stays level-headed and ignores the latest links to Chelsea and Manchester United.

The Jamaica under-23 international has come to life this season in Germany with 11 goals and five assists in all competitions this term.

Despite speculation linking him with a big move to the Premier League with the Blues or United, Bailey said in February that he wants “to develop” before taking “the next step”.

And, with a long career ahead of him, Bender agrees that would be the right idea for the 20-year-old.

“He has got special abilities, he is incredibly fast and great at dribbling,” Bender said, speaking exclusively to Goal. “But we did not expect that he would explode that fast. This example shows that football is a fast-paced business.

“It is important that he handles the hype around him correctly and does not want too much too fast. Now everybody comes to him and suddenly wants something from him.

“He is only 20 years old and therefore still has development potential. He is a great player and will probably leave one day for a high fee, but I wish him to stay with us for a long time.”

Meanwhile, Bender has commented on the amount of money doing the rounds in football at the moment.

“Of course the sums are very high at the moment,” Bender added. “If someone is willing to pay this money for a football player, it is okay. You can’t blame the player for costing a lot of money. It is a question of supply and demand.

“It is a little bit unreal and far from reality. I hope someday it will find an end.”