Premier League trio Arsenal, Wolves and West Ham were linked with Demirbay but he’s swapped Hoffenheim for Bundesliga rivals Bayer Leverkusen.
The transfer window isn’t even officially open yet but Arsenal, Wolves and West Ham United have already missed out on a talented central midfielder.
Bild reported in April that Arsenal had set their sights on Hoffenheim playmaker Kerem Demirbay, a two-time German international who had a very affordable release clause in his contract.
Blessed with a superb set-piece delivery and a penchant for long-range screamers, Demirbay could have provided an extra dash of creativity in a Gunners side who bid farewell to Aaron Ramsey at the weekend.
Wolves and West Ham were keen too, according to Calciomercato. Demirbay looked like the natural number 10 who would take Wolves to another level while West Ham haven’t had a midfielder with his mercurial talents since a certain Dimitri Payet.
But Arsenal, Wolves and West Ham’s loss is most definitely Bayer Leverkusen’s game.
Demirbay has sealed a shock move to the Bundesliga outfit on Thursday, Eurosport claiming that Leverkusen have paid £24 million.
“This is the next chapter after three great years at Hoffenheim,” Demirbay told the Bundesliga’s official website. “Leverkusen play really attractive attacking football. Their style suits mine and I’m really looking forward to becoming a part of this team.”
With Ramsey gone and Demirbay out of their reach, the summer couldn’t have started much worse for Arsenal in particular.
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