Sardar Azmoun absent from Bayer Leverkusen training as Bundesliga champions look to sell | OneFootball

After spending last season on loan at AS Roma, Sardar Azmoun (29) returned to Bayer Leverkusen in the summer and was present for their performance tests on Sunday, but did not show up for training on Monday despite expectations that the Iranian forward would do so.

“You don’t just have to do the performance diagnostics, you also have to train,” said Simon Rolfes. “He was there yesterday, but not today.” The Bayer 04 managing director added that the club would have to “clarify what’s going on.”

According to Kicker, Azmoun has no future at Bayer Leverkusen following his arrival from Zenit St. Petersburg for €2.5m in January 2022. Spending last season on loan at Roma, where he scored three goals in 23 games, the Italian side would have considered buying the Iranian on a permanent basis had they qualified for the Champions League.

With a contract at Bayer Leverkusen until 2027, the Bundesliga champions hope for around €10m from a potential suitor for Azmoun, who has reported interest from Sevilla, as a replacement for Youssef En-Nesyri, as well as loose contacts from an unnamed Italian club, and clubs from Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

While a loan with an option to buy would be possible, Bayer Leverkusen would prefer a direct sale.

GGFN | Daniel Pinder