Bayer Leverkusen star 'refuses to sign new deal' and tells club he wants to leave amid Bayern Munich interest

Bayer Leverkusen star Jonathan Tah has told the club he wants to leave and will not sign a new contract, according to a new report.

Tah, who is the club's vice-captain, has been with Leverkusen since 2015 and has made over 250 appearances.

The 28-year-old has been a semi-regular in Germany squads over the course of that time, and was named in Julian Nagelsmann's Euro 2024 squad.

He was a key part of the Leverkusen side that lost just one match in all competitions during the 2023/24 campaign en route to a German domestic treble under Xabi Alonso.

He played in all bar three of Leverkusen's 34 Bundesliga matches, and his departure would be a major blow for the reigning champions.

But according to Sky Sports Germany, an exit now seems likely, as he is said to have turned down a new contract.

Tah's contract expires next summer and he is reportedly willing to run down that deal and leave on a free transfer next summer.

However, Leverkusen's transfer policy is to not allow players to leave for free unless absolutely necessary, with the club preferring to sell players when it becomes clear they will not stay at the club.

Tah is being pursued by Bayern Munich, with new manager Vincent Kompany keen to add further experience to his squad ahead of his debut campaign in charge.

Sky claim that both sides are currently considerably apart in their valuations of the centre-back, with Bayern willing to go up to €25 million and Leverkusen demanding €40 to €45 million.

However, it is said that the gap in the numbers is closing, and that negotiations are 'going well'.

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Leverkusen have so far strengthened their squad for the upcoming season with the signings of 19-year-old Rennes centre-back Jeanuel Belocian and the former Manchester City and Girona midfielder Aleix Garcia for a combined fee of over €30 million.

They are yet to lose any key players from the historic 2023/24 season, although influential centre-back Josip Stanisic has returned to Bayern after his loan deal expired.

Whether the Croatian, who represented his country at Euro 2024, is involved in any swap deal for Tah remains to be seen.

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