Bild: Thiaw open to return as Leverkusen show interest – Milan’s ultimatum and price | OneFootball

Malick Thiaw is attracting interest from Bayer Leverkusen and is open to the idea of returning to Germany, according to a report.

As per Bild, Thiaw is a candidate to become the ‘new leader of the defence’ for Leverkusen because Jonathan Tah is leaving this summer on a free transfer. It is expected that he will join Barcelona when his contract expires.

Leverkusen ‘have been following Thiaw for some time’ and could accelerate their pursuit as we approach the summer window. Their sporting director Kim Falkenberg – who has been linked with Milan recently – was there to watch the recent Champions League second leg against Feyenoord.

For Thiaw, it would be a return to Leverkusen given he already played for Bayer’s youth team at the U19 level. He is open to a move to the Bundesliga and his contract with Milan runs until 2027, so it will have two years left come the summer.

The Rossoneri management want an early decision from him: he must either extend his contract or move while his value is high. The fact that Milan are in danger of missing out on European qualification for next season will play a part.

With Bayer, Thiaw is aware that he could probably increase his chances of participating in the 2026 World Cup. He has played three times for the German national team, but he has not been called up since Julian Nagelsmann took over.

The transfer fee for Thiaw will be around €25m, a sum that Leverkusen could fund through the sale of Odilon Kossounou. The defender is currently on loan at Atalanta and could be signed permanently, with an option to buy included.