Bailey unlikely to be fit for Bundesliga start

The future of Jamaica international Leon Bailey, at German Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen, continues to be shrouded in doubt, as he faces a late start to the season and constant speculation.

The Bundesliga club will kick off its new campaign away to Eintracht Norderstedt in the DFB Pokal on Sunday.  Bailey will, however, miss the fixture after being required to undergo mandatory quarantine in Jamaica after possible exposure to the coronavirus.

On Friday, the club’s head coach Peter Bosz confirmed the player was yet to rejoin the group and that his reintroduction to the team would be on a stage by stage basis.

 “The quarantine is over; Leon was tested today. We expect it to be negative, then he can fly, but we have to wait for the result. When will he be available again? I first have to see what shape he's in when he's here and can be at 100 percent,” the club’s head coach told Bild.

In all likelihood, the team’s Bundesliga start, on September 20, in Wolfsburg is also likely to come too early for Bailey.  In fact, it remains to be seen whether he will ever represent Leverkusen again. His name is constantly mentioned on the transfer market, and Bayer has confirmed they would let him go if the offer was right.  He has recently been linked to English Premier League (EPL) club Leeds United.