Bayer Leverkusen and Premier League side take the lead in race for Barcelona forward

Barcelona winger Ez Abde returned to the club this summer following a loan at Osasuna, and has shown early on he is capable of useful contributions. However the Moroccan wants to ensure he gets sufficient game time to continue his development.

Abde is frustrated after not seeing any game time against Villarreal over the weekend, and has doubts about Xavi Hernandez’s claim that he will be important this season. The Barcelona manager wants to hang onto Abde, but he is edging towards a loan move this summer.

However Barcelona have told Abde that he will only leave on a permanent deal, if he is to leave at all, as per Sport. Real Betis, Osasuna and Sevilla were all linked with Abde on loan, with his preference being to remain in Spain, but none of the three look likely to commit to that kind of outlay.

As such, Aston Villa and Bayer Leverkusen move into pole position, given they could afford a fee. The Bundesliga side reportedly made a €20m offer for Abde last week, but it is not yet clear whether Barcelona would accept that.

As many have pointed out, it looks likely that Ansu Fati will leave Barcelona before the end of the transfer window, and even if Joao Felix arrives, it would be a blow to Xavi’s options if Abde moved on. Abde is the only natural wide option on the left side, and with the possible exception of Lamine Yamal, the trickiest for defenders to stop.