EPL giants offered chance to sign Boniface
Premier League giants Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham have been offered the chance to sign Nigeria international Victor Boniface after his proposed £50m move to Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr collapsed, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
The Bayer Leverkusen striker, who has scored 69 goals and provided 31 assists in 167 career appearances, had initially agreed to join Al-Nassr before the Saudi club opted to sign Aston Villa’s Jhon Duran instead.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, who is seeking attacking reinforcements following injuries to Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka, addressed the club’s transfer plans ahead of their Manchester City clash.
“We are trying everything that we can, but I don’t want to give any reassurance or not,” Arteta said.
The 24-year-old Nigerian enjoyed a stellar debut season with Leverkusen, scoring 21 goals and providing 10 assists in 34 appearances across all competitions, helping the German club secure their first-ever Bundesliga title and clinching the Rookie of The Year award.
Boniface’s impressive performances earned high praise from Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso.
“Victor’s a real problem for opposition defences,” Alonso said.
“He’s powerful, quick and makes runs from deep. He has a good mentality and works for the team, not for himself.”
Tottenham’s interest comes amid their own attacking crisis, with injuries to Dominic Solanke, Brennan Johnson, Wilson Odobert and Timo Werner leaving manager Ange Postecoglou short of options.
Manchester United could also benefit from Boniface’s arrival, having struggled for goals this season with just 28 in 23 Premier League matches. Their summer signing Rasmus Hojlund has managed only two league goals in 18 appearances.
The striker has maintained his form this season despite injury setbacks, netting six goals in 10 Bundesliga games before a two-month absence.
While Leverkusen are prepared to welcome Boniface back into their squad, they remain open to selling the Nigerian international before the transfer window closes.
Arsenal, who recently had a £60m bid for Ollie Watkins rejected by Aston Villa, are also considering late moves for Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic and Newcastle’s Alexander Isak as they look to bolster their attacking options.
