Bayer Leverkusen forward Patrick Schick is refusing to make a definitive statement about his future amid interest from Newcastle United.
Schick has been in superb form for the Bundesliga side this season, with 26 goals in 30 games in all competitions helping Leverkusen to third place and Champions League qualification.
His performances have not gone unnoticed, either, and several clubs are reportedly ready to make a move, including Newcastle.
Leverkusen aren’t interested in losing their star man, and we recently covered comments from club chief Rudi Voller insisting that he wouldn’t be sold.
However, Kicker cover the striker’s situation today and state that while the club are taking a definitive stance, the player and his agent are not.
They have helped Leverkusen to secure Champions League football for next season, a big boost for the club as it adds an extra €25m to the budget and increases their hopes of keeping Schick.
They ‘naturally want to keep’ the player, and securing Champions League football means they won’t be forced to sell, as they were with Kai Havertz in 2020.
Club chiefs Vollers, Simon Rolfes and CEO Fernando Carro have all insisted the striker won’t be leaving, but Schick has been less clear, recently admitting “we will talk about it, let’s see” when questioned on his future.
Like Schick, his advisor Pavel Paska ‘does not want to give any guarantee’ that the striker will be remaining in Leverkusen, stating, “he has a contract until 2025, that’s all I need to talk about the subject” and nothing more.
He has absolutely refused to ‘make the statement’ that Schick will ‘definitely stay’ even when asked, which would suggest they are still open to listening to the likes of Newcastle if they wish to make a bid.
Whether they can convince Leverkusen is another matter, and they’re going to demand a big price to let Schick go, but the player and his agent are remaining coy despite the stance being shared by the club.
