Football's most referenced transfer news journalist, Fabrizio Romano, has claimed that Victor Boniface is going to set off a transfer market battle in the near future.
Super Eagles strikers Victor Boniface and Victor Osimhen are currently the talk of the town, but the Akure-born striker is slightly edging his Napoli counterpart in the discussions.
Victor Boniface won three-peat of individual awards in Germany in his first season. Having earned another deserved call-up to the Super Eagles squad, he is now believed to be priority number 1 for the world's biggest clubs in the coming transfer windows.
🇳🇬 Top clubs from different countries are keeping close eye on Victor Boniface, doing fantastic at Leverkusen…
🎖️ He won the Bundesliga Rookie of the Month award three times in a row.
August: Victor Boniface.
September: Victor Boniface.
October: Victor Boniface.Top impact. pic.twitter.com/fnZOklVUI6
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) November 14, 2023
Victor Boniface – hot property on the transfer market
Premier League clubs like West Ham United and Newcastle United have been reported to hold an interest in Boniface. A couple of sides in the Serie A have also been reported to be interested in the former Royal Union Saint-Gilloise attacker.
The biggest interest in the player, however, comes from Spain. La Liga giants Barcelona and Real Madrid have been reported to be interested in Victor Boniface and Osimhen.
For Barcelona, it is believed that both strikers are being considered as replacements for the ageing Robert Lewandowski, who is said to be in his last season at the club.
For Real Madrid, it is believed that they are finally ready to get a proper replacement for Karim Benzema, who left at the end of last season for Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia.
Joselu Mato, who was brought back to his boyhood club on loan, will not be getting a permanent contract and both Boniface and Osimhen are seen as replacements for Benzema.
The Real Madrid links are even more concrete because it is believed that Leverkusen's manager, Xabi Alonso, is headed for Los Blancos as Carlo Ancelotti's replacement.
Alonso is a former Real Madrid player who won many trophies with them. Like Zinedine Zidane before him, they believe he can do the same as a manager thanks to his antecedents as Leverkusen's coach.
If he moves, Boniface is likely to make the move to Madrid as well.
Romano did not explicitly state which clubs will approach Bayer 04 Leverkusen for Boniface, but his reportage is now evidence that there will be movement for the 22-year-old starting this January.
Victor Boniface: I'm not a classic striker
Just before heading out to join the Super Eagles for their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers matches against Lesotho and Zimbabwe, Victor Boniface sat down with Leverkusen's media team.
He spoke about his time at the club and also about his style of play, which he described as “not classic”.
“It’s been very exciting so far,” he said. “The two awards (Rookie of the Month and Player of the Month in August)are a special honour that make me proud.
“I really feel at home in Leverkusen and in this team. I had contact with a couple of players, for example Jerry (Jeremie Frimpong) before I arrived. I knew how good this team is, how good they can be and how brilliantly I can fit in with them.”
Speaking about his style of play, Victor Boniface said: “There are lots of classic strikers. They wait for their moment in the penalty area. But then it can happen that they don’t touch the ball for ten minutes. I don’t like that.
“I want to play differently, create chances and not just finish them. I like dropping back to take part in the build-up and I like pulling opposition defenders towards me and thereby creating space for my teammates. A bit of this style is in my nature.
“I used to play in midfield and increasingly took part in build-up play. I often watch videos of tricky and intelligent players to develop my game in that way to be able to help the team even more.”
This article was most recently revised and updated 1 year ago
