Player says he’s rejected West Ham for CL football – Lopetegui kept ringing him

Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Aleix Garcia has insisted he turned down West Ham United this summer because he wanted Champions League football with the German side.

The midfielder has been speaking to Sport BILD about his move to Leverkusen this summer and how he had to ignore repeated phone calls from Julen Lopetegui trying to take him to West Ham.

Garcia joined the Bundesliga champions in an €18m deal at the beginning of July after impressing with Girona since joining them from Eibar in July 2021.

Leverkusen had to undergo something of a battle for his signature, with West Ham also fighting to try and get the 27-year-old as they build under Lopetegui this summer.

They submitted bids and talked to the player for weeks to try and convince him to move to the London Stadium but were ultimately left disappointed as the chance to join Xabi Alonso’s side proved too tempting.

The Bundesliga side had the upper hand thanks to securing Champions League football for next season and Garcia admits that was ultimately what put them ahead of West Ham in the pecking order.

“The offer (from West Ham) was very interesting,” he said.

“West Ham’s new coach Julen Lopetegui had called me often. But in the end, it was the calls from Xabi, the Champions League and the club’s overall package that tipped the scales in Leverkusen’s favour.

“Alejandro Grimaldo also told me a lot about Bayer when he was with the national team. In the end he helped me a little to make my decision. It is of course important for me as a player to know what is going on in a club.”