Berlin (AFP) – Winger Leon Bailey showed why Arsenal and Chelsea are reportedly tracking him with another stunning goal in Bayern Leverkusen’s 2-0 win over Mainz on Sunday in the Bundesliga.
Bailey, 20, gave Leverkusen the lead at the BayArena when he hit the back of the net from 20 metres with a left-footed strike.
There was nothing on when Bailey looked up on the edge of the area, but his shot across goal gave Mainz goalkeeper Robin Zentner no chance three minutes into the second half.
After also scoring last weekend with an audacious backheel, it was his eighth league goal this season.
Leverkusen could ask Chelsea or Arsenal for double the 13.5 million euros ($17.8 million) they paid Belgian club Genk for Bailey in January 2017.
However, the German side have ruled out selling him in January’s transfer window and the Jamaican is under contract until June 2022.
It was the latest eye-catching display from Bailey who scored and created a goal in last weekend’s 4-1 thrashing of Hoffenheim.
Leverkusen made sure of the three points against strugglers Mainz when Brazilian left-back Wendell converted a 68th-minute penalty, after Mainz defender Giulio Donati brought down striker Lucas Alario.
The win sees Leverkusen climb to second, 16 points behind runaway league leaders Bayern Munich, who thrashed Hoffenheim 5-2 at home on Saturday.
The Bundesliga’s top-scorer Robert Lewandowski scored for the 18th time in the league this season as Bayern fought back from two goals down in style.
VfB Stuttgart sacked coach Hannes Wolf on Sunday, after Saturday’s 2-0 defeat by third-placed Schalke saw them slip to 15th in the table.
Leverkusen are above Schalke on goal difference, with Eintracht Frankfurt a point behind in fourth.
Borussia Dortmund are sixth after needing a 93rd-minute equaliser by left-back Jeremy Toljan to salvage a 2-2 draw with Freiburg.
Arsenal target Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang produced a poor display and was whistled on his return after being dropped for the previous two games.
Dortmund were whistled by their own fans and Stoeger admitted he was also unimpressed with what he saw.
“I didn’t whistle, but I wasn’t happy,” he quipped.
