Leverkusen chief says Boniface ‘will most likely stay’ as Al-Nassr opt for Jhon Duran

Simon Rolfes, Bayer Leverekusen’s sporting director, says Victor Boniface “will most likely stay” at the club after nearly joining Al-Nassr of Saudi Arabia. 

On Monday, Boniface was close to joining the Saudi club for a reported fee of over €60 million.

The 24-year-old passed the medical screenings carried out by the Al-Nassr entourage, who flew into Germany to negotiate the deal.

Boniface was expected to earn a net wage of around €15 million per season at Riyadh club.

However, Rolfes said, despite the initial agreement, the move has been put on hold.

The Leverkusen sporting director spoke to journalists on Wednesday after the club’s victory over Sparta Prague in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) final preliminary game.

“Boniface will train with the team again tomorrow. He is still a Bayer 04 player,” Rolfes said.

“The events have not led to him being sold. With certain sums of money, economic considerations naturally always play a role. The current situation is that he will most likely stay. We are pleased about that.”

Al-Nassr have, reportedly, opted to sign Jhon Duran from Aston Villa for €77m fixed fee plus add-ons.

According to the reports, Al-Nassr considered signing either Boniface or the Colombian striker to replace the departing Talisca.