Chelsea and Aston Villa make bids for Germany striker

Chelsea and Aston Villa have both made bids for Hoffenheim striker Maximilian Beier, in a packed race to sign the Germany international.

The 21-year-old enjoyed a breakthrough season with Hoffenheim last time around, scoring 16 times in the Bundesliga and earning a call-up to the national side.

The young forward made it into Germany’s squad for Euro 2024, coming off the bench in the 1-1 draw with Switzerland in the group stage.

The striker has a release clause of just €30m (£25.2m) so it is no surprise that plenty of clubs are interested in snapping him up this summer.

Sky Sports Germany report that the Blues and the Villains have ‘submitted concrete offers’ for Baier, but they are not the only ones circling.

The report states that two other clubs from outside of Germany have made contact, with Bundesliga champions Leverkusen also interested.

The likes of Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea and Juventus have all also been linked with the German, who appears to have the world at his feet.

There is no agreement as yet between the player and any club, but a decision is going to be made in the coming days, with Baier almost certain to move on.

Baier came through the youth ranks at Hoffenheim, making his debut in February 2020, although it took time to fully shine in the first team.

The forward spent the 2022-23 season on loan at Hannover in 2.Bundesliga but returned and caught the eye for Hoffenheim over the last campaign.

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