Stefan Kiessling is set to stay at Bayer Leverkusen for the rest of the season, the club said on Tuesday, just days after the ex-Germany striker revealed he wanted to leave. The 31-year-old, who won the last of his six caps for Germany at the 2010 World Cup, scored twice in Leverkusen’s 5-0 thrashing of Borussia Moenchengladbach on Saturday in Bayer’s final home match of 2015.
The club has confirmed to SID, an AFP subsidiary, that Leverkusen bosses moved fast to reassure Kiessling, who was invited to talks with Leverkusen CEO Michael Schade and manager Jonas Boldt on Monday.
MORE BUNDESLIGA: Reus out until 2016 with groin injury.
Kiessling has found himself playing understudy to Javier Hernandez since the Mexico star signed from Manchester United at the start of the season.
“I love playing here and I love this club, and it’s overall a very difficult situation for me,” said Kiessling after the Gladbach match.
“I want to be playing some football at the end of my career and that is why I’ve got to give things plenty of thought.”
According to German daily Bild, director of sport Rudi Voeller wants to offer Kiessling a contract extension to his current deal which runs until 2017.
Augsburg, Mainz and Ingolstadt were some of the Bundesliga clubs reported to be interested in signing him.
MORE BAYER: Leverkusen hopes to blaze Bundesliga’s trail in North America, Asia.
Kiessling was superb alongside Hernandez as the pair shredded the Gladbach defense, with ‘Chicharito’ scoring the other three goals to claim the first club hat trick of his career.
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