Atlético Madrid Pursue Bayer Leverkusen Star Maza
Diego Simeone has gone back to an old obsession. Atlético Madrid want Maza, and this time they are not hiding it.
The Spanish club have reopened talks over the 20-year-old Bayer Leverkusen playmaker, making direct contact with the Bundesliga side to register their interest, according to Bulinews. The response from Germany? A firm no.
Leverkusen have no intention of cashing in on one of their most prized assets. And with good reason.
From €12m gamble to €70m powerhouse
Maza arrived at Leverkusen from Hertha Berlin in the summer of 2025 for around €12 million. It already looks like one of the smartest pieces of business in recent Bundesliga memory.
His value has exploded. With a contract running until June 2030, any club trying to prise him away now is staring at a fee in the region of €70 million. That figure alone places Atlético in a financial arm wrestle before negotiations have even truly started.
This is not a new chase either. beIN Sports journalist Hafid Derradji revealed that Atlético had already tried to land Maza while he was still at Hertha, tabling a €35 million offer. Hertha rejected it quickly. Atlético did not forget.
They watched. They waited. And Maza grew.
Undroppable at Leverkusen, irresistible to Europe
This season, the Algerian international has stepped fully into the spotlight. He has become an undisputed starter at Leverkusen, not just a promising youngster but a central figure in Xabi Alonso’s attacking structure.
One goal and two assists from just four starts tell part of the story. The rest is in the way he dictates play, the way he links midfield to attack, the way he has already made himself indispensable. He only missed Leverkusen’s Europa League opener through illness.
When a 20-year-old performs like that, the radar of Europe’s elite starts to buzz.
Atlético are not alone. Arsenal and Manchester City both made their interest known in the summer, sounding out the possibility of a deal. Leverkusen shut that door quickly, making it clear that the player was not for sale.
Leverkusen move to lock him down
The growing noise around Maza has forced Leverkusen to act. According to Bild, the club have already started working on a contract extension that would push his deal beyond its current 2030 expiry.
Talks with his representatives began last week. No agreement yet, but the intent from Leverkusen is obvious: keep their midfield conductor at almost any cost.
The new proposal on the table includes a significant pay rise, a major upgrade on the €3 million per season he currently earns in Germany. Leverkusen know they cannot match the global pull of Atlético, Arsenal or Manchester City on reputation alone. They have to make it hurt, financially, for Maza to even consider leaving.
For now, the lines are clear. Atlético are circling again. The Premier League giants have not gone away. And Leverkusen are fighting to ensure that one of the most exciting young playmakers in Europe remains the centrepiece of their project, not someone else’s marquee signing.
