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Three clubs are tracking a Leverkusen teenager with **157 minutes** played; the January math only works if someone overpays.
2022
from Hertha Berlin and signed his first professional contract…
2024
He has played
157 minutes
across all competitions this season
25-minute
cameo against Mainz in October
Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, and Paris Saint-Germain are tracking Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Ibrahim Maza ahead of the January transfer window, according to multiple club sources. The 19-year-old has made seven appearances this season for the reigning Bundesliga champions, mostly as a substitute.
Maza joined Leverkusen's academy in 2022 from Hertha Berlin and signed his first professional contract in February 2024. He has played 157 minutes across all competitions this season, with his longest run coming in a 25-minute cameo against Mainz in October. Leverkusen extended his deal through 2028 eight months ago, a standard move for academy graduates showing promise but not yet commanding starting roles.
The interest reflects three different purchasing logics. Arsenal's recruitment team, led by Jason Ayto, is running its usual dual-track model: identify players before they hit €40 million valuations, then decide later whether to integrate or flip. The club has €180 million in summer outlays still settling into Mikel Arteta's system, but technical director Edu Gaspar's January shortlist typically includes two midfielders under 22 regardless of immediate need. Tottenham's interest is more direct. Ange Postecoglou's squad is thin in central midfield after missing out on Conor Gallagher in August, and the club burned €120 million on seven signings without adding a deep-lying playmaker. Maza's profile—press-resistant, left-footed, comfortable in tight spaces—maps onto the Rodrigo Bentancur insurance policy Postecoglou requested in October. PSG's involvement is simpler: Luis Enrique wants French-speaking players under 21 who can rotate in Ligue 1 without demanding guaranteed starts. Maza, born in Essen to a Palestinian father, speaks German and basic French.
Leverkusen has no pressing reason to sell. Xabi Alonso's squad is 26 players deep, the club holds a 12-point cushion in Champions League qualifying position, and Maza's 2028 contract eliminates any leverage a buying club might extract from a pending expiration. The asking price, if one exists, likely starts near €15 million—the floor Leverkusen sets for academy products with first-team minutes. Arsenal paid €8 million for Brooke Norton-Cuffy in a similar scenario last year; Tottenham spent €12 million on Alejo Véliz. Both players are now on loan.
The январь window timing matters because Leverkusen's schedule compresses in February with Europa League knockout rounds resuming. Alonso has already rotated Maza into domestic cup ties, and the club's policy under sporting director Simon Rolfes is to keep depth until the squad's competitive needs clarify. A January sale would require a replacement, and Leverkusen does not shop in winter unless the price justifies the disruption. PSG has the cash flexibility to test that threshold; Arsenal and Tottenham typically wait until summer unless a deal is clean.
Maza's agent, whose name has not surfaced in reporting, likely seeded this round of stories to establish market interest before winter salary reviews. That is standard practice for teenagers on academy-graduate wages facing their first leverage point. Leverkusen will listen, price accordingly, and decide in February whether Alonso wants the depth or prefers the transfer fee.
Watch whether any of the three clubs send technical scouts to Leverkusen's next Europa League group-stage match on December 12 against Inter Milan. If Maza gets minutes, the inquiry calls start the following week. If he stays on the bench, this becomes a summer conversation reframed around €20 million and a loan-back clause.
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