Paris Saint-Germain sporting director Leonardo hit out at Real Madrid for their "lack of respect" for the Ligue 1 giants and Kylian Mbappe amid their public pursuit of the French star.

After soon-to-be free agent Mbappe confirmed this week that he had asked to leave PSG before the start of the season, Madrid president Florentino Perez seemed to suggest the France international could join the LaLiga powerhouse in January.

While Perez claimed he was misinterpreted, Madrid star Karim Benzema said a move to the Santiago Bernabeu is a "question of time" as Los Blancos head coach Carlo Ancelotti told reporters he hoped Mbappe "enjoys himself" in the Spanish capital.

Leonardo has not taken kindly to Madrid's open desire to sign the 22-year-old.

"This is another example of the lack of respect for PSG and for Mbappe," Leonardo said in an interview with L'Equipe.

"In fact, in the same week a Real Madrid player [Karim Benzema], then the Real Madrid coach [Carlo Ancelotti].

"Now the president [Florentino Perez] talks about Kylian as if he was already one of their own. I repeat: this is a lack of respect that we cannot tolerate."

Mbappe has scored four goals and supplied three assists in nine Ligue 1 appearances this season, while he is yet to add to his tally in the Champions League through two matchdays.

Antonio Rudiger is honoured by rumoured interest from Bayern Munich, but the defender is focused only on performing well for Chelsea.

The centre-back has become integral for the Blues since the arrival of Thomas Tuchel, with only Cesar Azpilicueta (2,054) playing more Premier League minutes under the German coach.

No Chelsea player has managed a better tackle success rate than the 71.88 per cent posted by Rudiger, who had struggled for minutes towards the end of Frank Lampard's reign.

However, the 28-year-old's long-term future at Stamford Bridge remains unclear. He is out of contract at the end of the campaign, leading to rumours of a move elsewhere on a free transfer.

Bayern have been one of the clubs linked to Rudiger, who spoke about the speculation while on international duty with Germany.

"It honours you, but I don't allow myself to be distracted too much," he told the media on Tuesday.

"I have certain obligations to my club and that is to perform. But it also shows that you have done a lot right in the past months and years."

Bayern boss Julian Nagelsmann was asked about Rudiger recently and while refusing to discuss the player's possible arrival at the Allianz Arena, he did offer praise for his development.

"I'm not talking about players from other clubs, particularly outside of the transfer window," Nagelsmann said. "But I will speak of him as a football fan: he has developed very well.

"Thomas Tuchel has coached him well. Before he was sidelined at Chelsea, but now he is a crucial player. I can't say anything else.

"Believe it or not, I haven't spoken to Brazzo [Bayern sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic] about it yet. Even if I had, I wouldn't give that away.

"I have to see how long he still has to go on his contract. Then I will see if I have any money in my wallet."

Dayot Upamecano joined Bayern in the previous transfer window, adding to a squad that already boasted Niklas Sule and Lucas Hernandez, plus youngsters Josip Stanisic and Tanguy Nianzou.

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has claimed he was misinterpreted after he seemed to suggest Kylian Mbappe could join the club in January. 

Mbappe, whose Paris Saint-Germain contract expires at the end of the season, will be free to negotiate with clubs from the turn of the year if the 22-year-old has not agreed a new deal in the French capital.

It would seem Mbappe has no intention of doing so, with the forward having confirmed this week that he asked to leave PSG in July, while explaining that there has been no further negotiations.

Los Blancos are reported to have made three bids for the France international during the last transfer window, the last one said to be worth around €200million.

However, Perez said on El Debate that Madrid remain confident of signing Mbappe, who claimed to be happy at PSG for the time being despite the speculation.

"In January we will have news from Mbappe," Perez said on Tuesday. "We hope that on January 1 everything can be solved."

But Perez quickly backtracked, saying: "My words were misinterpreted.

"What I said is that we have to wait until next year to find out, always with respect to PSG with whom we have good relations."

Madrid were granted a salary cap boost of €270m, leaving them with a spending limit seven times greater than financially stricken Barcelona and Perez also found time to provide an update on the club's financial situation post-pandemic.

"It will probably take about three years for us to return to the figures we entered before the pandemic," he continued.

"We have gone from entering €900m to just over €600m."

Kylian Mbappe revealed he would only leave Paris Saint-Germain for Real Madrid as the forward claimed there have been no new contract discussions for two months.

Mbappe, who joined from Monaco in 2017, has become unsettled at the Parc des Princes with less than a year left on his contract and Madrid attempted to secure his services last transfer window.

Los Blancos are reported to have made three bids for the France international, the last one said to be worth up to €200 million.

However, Madris's advances were turned down and with the arrival of Lionel Messi, Mauricio Pochettino and the PSG board were seemingly confident of keeping Mbappe for the final year of his deal.

RMC released part of an interview – which will be published in full on Tuesday – on Monday, in which Mbappe confirmed he had made his intentions to leave clear to PSG in July.

Speaking about his future to French outlet L'Equipe, the 22-year-old said he believed his time at PSG was drawing to a natural conclusion, though revealed he would only have left for Madrid.

"This summer my ambition was clear, I wanted to leave and put the club in the best circumstances to bring in my replacement," Mbappe said.

"Right now, my future is not my priority. I've already wasted a lot of energy this summer, it's draining.

"I thought that my adventure [with PSG] was over. I wanted to discover something else. I'd been in the French league six or seven years. I've given what I tried to at Paris and I think I've done it well. 

"To arrive at 18 post-youth development and do everything I have, I think that's something remarkable. Leaving was the logical next step. 

"I am attached to Paris, and if I had left this summer, it would have only been for Real."

Mbappe was also reported to have rejected a series of new contract offers, but he denied that was true as he remains content in Paris.

"I stayed and I'm really happy," he continued. 

"At no point during the season will you hear behaviour along the lines of 'you didn't let me leave, I'm going to take it easy.' I have too much love for football and too much respect for the club and for myself, to take it easy even for one game.

"With regard to my situation, we haven't been discussing a renewal for [over[ two months, since I said I wanted to leave.

"When I say that lots of things were heard, I'm talking about something else – people said that I turned down six or seven renewal offers, no way! 

"People were saying that I didn't want to talk to [sporting director] Leonardo, even though it's the president [Nasser Al-Khelaifi] who wanted to take things over. 

"When I'm told to speak with the president, I'm not going to say no. People were saying I was planning on messing around in the dressing room – again, not at all."

In-demand Fiorentina star Dusan Vlahovic will not be renewing his contract with the club, owner Rocco Commisso has revealed.

Commisso said forward Vlahovic – who is under contract with the Serie A side until 2023 - has received multiple renewal offers to make him the highest-paid player in Fiorentina history, but an agreement has not been reached.

He released a statement on Tuesday to update fans on the failed negotiations, saying he was keeping a promise to be up front with them.

Vlahovic, 21, is one of the most exciting players in Europe after scoring 21 Serie A goals last season.

He ended up staying in Italy during the transfer window despite being strongly linked with Tottenham and Atletico Madrid.

Manchester City, Arsenal, Juventus and Inter are also reportedly interested in Vlahovic, who has gone on to make a fine start to the new campaign with four goals in seven league games.

And it appears his long-term future will not be with Fiorentina.

"When I arrived in Florence, I promised the fans that I would be up front with them and that I would never make promises that I couldn't keep," Commisso said.

"I would therefore like to update the Fiorentina fans on an issue that has been much talked and spoken about in recent months – the question of Dusan Vlahovic's contract.

"As you know, Fiorentina made a very significant offer to the player. Our proposal would have made him the highest paid player in the history of the club.

"We also improved our offer on a number of occasions in order to accommodate the requests of both Dusan and his entourage. However, despite our efforts, those offers have not been accepted.

"During my time in Florence over the past few weeks, I have personally endeavoured to find a solution that would make both the player and the club happy, but I am disappointed to say that our efforts and attempts have not been rewarded."

Commisso added: "At this point, all that we can do is acknowledge the wishes of the player and his entourage and quickly identify feasible, appropriate solutions as we proceed with this exciting new season.

"In any case, Dusan Vlahovic has a contract linking him to Fiorentina for the next 21 months.

"We have no doubt that the player will – as he always has – do his bit to help the team achieve its objectives, showing the same level of professionalism he has shown since he arrived in Florence, with the utmost respect from our fans, his team-mates, the coach and the club as a whole."

Of players aged 22 or under in Europe's top five leagues last season, only Borussia Dortmund sensation Erling Haaland (27) scored more top-flight goals than Vlahovic.

Vlahovic also became the first player born after the year 2000 to reach 20 Serie A goals, while his overall tally of 21 in the top flight during 2021 is the highest total in the league.

Serge Aurier has joined LaLiga side Villarreal after leaving Tottenham on transfer deadline day last month.

The full-back ended his time with Spurs after agreeing a mutual termination of his contract.

Aurier will continue his career in Spain, joining the Europa League holders on a deal until the end of the season, with the option of extending his stay by a further two campaigns.

The 28-year-old Ivory Coast captain made 110 appearances for Tottenham following his move from Paris Saint-Germain in 2017, scoring eight goals.

Aurier helped the London club reach the Champions League final in 2019, as well as the EFL Cup showpiece two years later.

He also has vast experience at international level, winning 70 caps for his country.

Unbeaten Villarreal are 11th in LaLiga, winning two and drawing five of their opening seven games of the season.

Kylian Mbappe has revealed he asked to leave Paris Saint-Germain in July amid interest from Real Madrid as he wanted the Ligue 1 side to receive a transfer fee.

The France international was repeatedly linked with a move to the Santiago Bernabeu during the most recent transfer window after entering the final year of his contract.

Madrid are reported to have had three bids turned down for the France international in July and August, the last one said to be worth up to €200million.

Speaking about his future in detail for the first time, Mbappe confirmed in an interview with RMC Sport, which will be released in full on Tuesday, that he does not intend to sign a new deal at the Parc des Princes.

"I asked to leave," he said. "From the moment where I did not want to extend, I wanted for the club to receive a transfer fee so that they could bring in a quality replacement. 

"This club has given me a lot. I have always been happy across the four years I have had here, and I still am. I said it early enough so that the club could react. 

"I wanted everyone to come out of this stronger, that we leave hand in hand, to make a good deal and I respected that. I said, if you don't want me to go, I will stay."

Mbappe was reported to have rejected multiple offers of a new deal in the French capital, but the superstar forward has denied that was the case.

"People said I turned down six or seven extension offers, that I don't want to talk to [sporting director] Leonardo anymore – that's absolutely not true," he said.

"It's not for me to judge, but my position was clear. I said that I wanted to leave and I said it quite early. 

"Me, personally, I did not appreciate too much the fact of 'yes, he's [saying he wants to leave] in the last week of August...' because I said at the end of July that I wanted to leave."

Since joining PSG from Ligue 1 rivals Monaco in August 2017 on an initial loan that was made permanent a year later, Mbappe has scored 136 goals in 182 games.

That is a tally bettered by only Cristiano Ronaldo (149), now team-mate Lionel Messi (163) and Robert Lewandowski (191) across that period among players from Europe's top five leagues in all competitions.

Mbappe's 61 assists over the same timeframe is the sixth-highest total, meanwhile, with Bayern Munich's Thomas Muller leading the way with 75.

The 22-year-old has made a largely underwhelming start to the 2021-22 campaign, however, having scored only four goals in 11 appearances, though he does have five assists.

That includes a run of 17 shots without scoring in Ligue 1 since netting against Clermont Foot on September 11.

What does the future hold for Erling Haaland?

The Borussia Dortmund forward is wanted across Europe.

However, Haaland could remain in Germany…

TOP STORY – HAALAND SET FOR DORTMUND STAY?

Erling Haaland is a player in demand but he is not certain to leave Borussia Dortmund, according to Sport Bild.

Haaland has been tipped to depart Dortmund at the end of the season amid links with Real Madrid, Manchester United, Barcelona, Manchester City, Liverpool, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus.

But Norwegian pundit Jan Aage Fjortoft suggests Haaland could remain at the Bundesliga outfit for longer than many expect.

ROUND-UP

- Sky Sports Italian claims Fiorentina chairman Rocco Commisso is concerned whether star forward Dusan Vlahovic intends to sign a new contract with Viola. Contracted until 2023, the Serbia international has been in talks regarding a new deal as the likes of City, Tottenham, Atletico Madrid, Arsenal and Inter reportedly circle.

- United are still backing under-fire manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, according to Fabrizio Romano.

- Tuttomercatoweb reports Atletico have joined the race to sign Chelsea's Timo Werner, who has found himself behind Romelu Lukaku at Stamford Bridge. Bayern and Dortmund are also reportedly eyeing Werner.

- Madrid have been offered the chance to sign RB Leipzig Christopher Nkunku in 2022, says Mundo Deportivo.

Milan head coach Stefano Pioli encouraged his players to "dream" of winning the Scudetto after equalling their best-ever start to a Serie A season thanks to a 3-2 win at Atalanta.

The Rossoneri held on to secure victory away to Atalanta and move into second place on 19 points after seven league fixtures, matching the record they set in the title-winning 2003-04 campaign.

Davide Calabria opened the scoring after less than 30 seconds – the third-fastest goal in Serie A for Milan since the 2004-05 season (since Opta started to collect this data), with only Rafael Leao (six seconds against Sassuolo) and Sulley Muntari (18 seconds against Juventus) netting faster.

Sandro Tonali and Leo were also on target for high-flying Milan as Pioli welcomed talk of a trophy challenge.

"We have to play to win every single game, we played with quality and energy," Pioli said, with Milan searching for their first Serie A crown since 2010-11.

"This test closes a positive period in which the team has always responded, even in Champions League defeats. It means we are growing.

"Is Tonali talking about the Scudetto? It's right that the guys ride this dream, at every game we have the chance to show that we can compete.

"It's a two-year journey, but now we must not be satisfied, but remaining humble and respecting our opponents. Tonight we did well what we missed in the first half hour against Liverpool, we were very dynamic."

Pioli also reserved special praise for former Atalanta midfielder Franck Kessie, who has featured regularly for Milan this term despite having just one year left on his contract.

It remains to be seen whether Kessie will remain at San Siro beyond 2021-22 amid links with the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham.

"[I] never had doubts about Franck's behaviour, the contract events exist but he played an amazing game," Pioli said. 

"[It was a] high level from everyone, but his, in particular, was an excellent race from a physical and technical point of view. He remains a regular member of this team, but like other members of the squad."

Milan will look to continue their title charge when they host Hellas Verona at San Siro on October 16 after the upcoming international break.

Could Darwin Nunez be the next Benfica star to make a big move?

Portuguese sensation Joao Felix swapped Benfica for Atletico Madrid in a club-record deal in 2019.

Now, Uruguay international Nunez is attracting interest from across Europe.

TOP STORY – CITY FRONT OF QUEUE FOR NUNEZ

Manchester City are leading the race to sign Darwin Nunez from Portuguese giants Benfica, according to the Daily Star.

Premier League champions City are desperate to sign a forward amid links with Tottenham's Harry Kane, Borussia Dortmund sensation Erling Haaland and Fiorentina forward Dusan Vlahovic.

Nunez has also reportedly attracted interest from Barcelona, Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Milan, Inter and Atletico Madrid.

ROUND-UP

– United forward Edinson Cavani could join Real Madrid in January, claims Mundo Deportivo. It comes as Cavani finds himself battling Cristiano Ronaldo for regular game time at Old Trafford, where the club's hierarchy are concerned amid their form under manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

- The Daily Star reports Arsenal are weighing up a move for out-of-favour City forward Raheem Sterling. Barca are also believed to be interested in Sterling, according to The Sun, as they face the prospect of missing out on Leipzig's Dani Olmo. The Spain international has been linked with United, Juventus and Bayern.

- Liverpool are eyeing Pogon Szczecin midfielder Kacper Kozlowski, says the Mirror. The 17-year-old has been linked with Bayer Leverkusen, Milan, RB Leipzig and Salzburg.

Carlo Ancelotti said he hoped Kylian Mbappe "enjoys himself" at Real Madrid after Karim Benzema predicted the Paris Saint-Germain star would move to the Santiago Bernabeu.

In an interview with L'Equipe, Benzema claimed it was a matter of time until his international team-mate signs for Los Blancos.

Madrid reportedly saw three bids rejected by PSG for the France star during the transfer window, the last one said to be worth €200million.

Yet with Mbappe's contract expiring at the end of the season and no sign of an extension, the 22-year-old will be free to speak with foreign clubs over a possible free transfer from January onwards.

When asked about Benzema's comments ahead of Madrid's LaLiga clash with Espanyol, Ancelotti replied: "I hope Mbappe enjoys himself because Madrid are the biggest club in the world!"

Madrid's trip to Barcelona comes in the week when they were stunned by Champions League debutants Sheriff 2-1 at home.

Having won five matches in a row, Madrid are now without a victory in their previous two, having been held 0-0 at home by Villarreal in their most recent league match.

Ancelotti has been losing sleep over those recent results but is not concerned by recent criticism of his side or his methods.

"The game against Sheriff hurt our pride. We'll react and give everything tomorrow, as we did against Sheriff," Ancelotti said.

"It's true we committed small mistakes, weren't precise enough in finishing, in passing, in their few chances.

"It affected me physically because I don't sleep, and I think about what happened. When you don't win, you don't sleep.

"I accept it [criticism], whether it's fair or unfair, you have to accept it. It's normal. I have a fantastic position, and I'm lucky to be here, and you have to accept that they can criticise you.

"We need to have more balance and really assess what's happening to us. We have struggled for goals in our last two games and we need to address that in our next game. I don't think that it’s a case of this being a tough time, but it is certainly tougher than it was before, but we have to solve it by playing with balance and energy."

This weekend also sees a clash between champions Atletico Madrid and Barcelona, a game Ancelotti plans to watch as he expects both to be their main title rivals this term.

"We're going to fight with those two until the end. Atleti are maybe better coming into it," he said.

"I'm going to watch because they're two big teams, but if we do what we need to do, we're going to fight for titles."

Karim Benzema has no doubt Kylian Mbappe will play for Real Madrid and says he enjoys being part of a team trying to redevelop under Carlo Ancelotti.

Madrid reportedly saw three bids rejected by Paris Saint-Germain for the France star during the transfer window, the last one said to be worth €200million.

Yet with Mbappe's contract expiring at the end of the season and no sign of an extension, the 22-year-old will be free to speak with foreign clubs over a possible free transfer from January onwards.

France team-mate Benzema says it is just a matter of time until Mbappe becomes a Madrid player, telling L'Equipe: "He said it himself. He wants something more. He will play at Real Madrid one day. I don't know when, but he'll come. It's a question of time."

Benzema believes Madrid are going through a transition under head coach Ancelotti, with established stars such as Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane having left while youngsters including Eduardo Camavinga and Vinicius Junior take on greater prominence in the first team.

"Real Madrid are still the best club in the world," he said. "Reconstruction or not, it's a new football, a new generation, new players. We have to invest in the youngsters so they become great players one day.

"I'm here to help them. I speak a lot with them. I want to improve them."

It is Benzema, however, who remains the cornerstone of the side. With eight goals and seven assists in just seven LaLiga games in 2021-22, the striker has more than double the direct goal involvements of any other player in the division.

He has also attempted the most shots (26), while only Sergio Canales has created more chances from open play than Benzema (14).

His form in the past year has led to calls for him to win the Ballon d'Or, the award returning this year after being suspended for 2020, with former Madrid star Luis Figo this week backing the 33-year-old for the prize.

While he cannot deny it is on his mind, Benzema says it is important not to become too focused on personal goals at the expense of helping the team.

"We have to think about it when you have ambition, but it doesn't have to be an obsession that makes you focus on yourself, telling yourself you have to shine individually," he said.

"If you have to win it, it's because of who you are, what you show on the pitch, what you do. For Figo to say I'm one of the candidates is important."

Paul Pogba has been the subject of constant speculation over the past 12 months.

Manchester United's French midfielder is into the final year of his contract.

Pogba has been in excellent early season form, with seven assists in the league already.

TOP STORY – REAL MADRID MOVE LOOMS FOR POGBA

Real Madrid are Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba's most likely destination at the end of this season, claims El Nacional.

The France international is out of contract at Old Trafford at the end of this season and could leave on a free transfer.

Pogba's agent Mino Raiola is trying to persuade Pogba to join Madrid, despite interest from Paris Saint-Germain.

ROUND-UP

– Liverpool target Karim Adeyemi is being chased by German pair Bayern Munich and Wolfsburg, reports Sport Bild. RB Leipzig are also monitoring the 19-year-old Salzburg striker.

– Marco Asensio appears destined to leave Madrid given his current role, with Sevilla hoping to sign the midfielder, according to El Gol Digital.

– Fichajes reports that Milan are plotting a January move for out-of-favour Manchester United midfielder Donny van de Beek.

– The Sun claims that Tottenham have revived their interest in West Brom goalkeeper Sam Johnstone as they seek a successor to Hugo Lloris.

– Roma head coach Jose Mourinho wants to reunite with Tottenham midfielder Tanguy Ndombele by signing him, reports Calciomercato.

– Marca claims that Manchester City are considering tabling an offer to sign Villareal forward Pau Torres .

Paris Saint-Germain continue to plan for Kylian Mbappe's potential departure. 

The Ligue 1 giants have been linked with several possible replacements. 

Robert Lewandowski is the latest rumoured target.

TOP STORY – PSG EYE LEWANDOWSKI AS MBAPPE REPLACEMENT

With seemingly everyone expecting Kylian Mbappe to depart Paris Saint-Germain after the season, the club have been linked with several potential attacking options. 

Robert Lewandowski is the latest, with Le10Sport reporting the Bayern Munich and Poland striker could make a lucrative move to PSG. 

The 33-year-old is under contract with Bayern through 2023, though, and could end up agreeing to a new deal to remain in the Bundesliga. 

ROUND-UP

– Real Madrid are set to take another run at Manchester United's Edinson Cavani during the January transfer window, says El Nacional. 

– Andrea Pirlo and River Plate's Marcelo Gallardo are candidates to replace Ronald Koeman if he is sacked by Barcelona in the coming days, the Express reports. 

– PSG are eyeing midfield help, with Inter's Nicolo Barella a possibility, according to Calciomercato, along with N'Golo Kante, Paul Pogba and Franck Kessie.

– Liverpool are interested in Bayer Leverkusen winger Moussa Diaby, according to Calciomercato. 

– Timo Werner could look to leave Chelsea if he does not receive more playing time the rest of the season, says the Telegraph.

After another busy off-season at Bayer Leverkusen, many would have tipped a slow start with a new face in the dugout.

With Peter Bosz relieved of his duties, Simon Rolfes and Leverkusen turned to Gerardo Seoane on the back of three consecutive Swiss Super League titles at the helm of Young Boys.

Star winger Leon Bailey also headlined the departures at BayArena, a year on from Kai Havertz's big-money move to Chelsea. Factor in major international tournaments prior to the 2021-22 campaign – Euro 2020, the Copa America and the Olympic Games – and it made for a challenging pre-season.

But Leverkusen have hit the ground running in the Bundesliga – a 4-0 rout of Borussia Monchengladbach and wins over Augsburg (4-1), Stuttgart (3-1) and Mainz (1-0) helping Die Werkself to second place through six games, three points behind leaders and champions Bayern Munich.

Leverkusen sporting director Rolfes told Stats Perform: "We're happy with the start of the season because it was a difficult summer for us but also the other teams who have a lot of international players. This summer with the Copa America, Euros, Olympic Games... there were a lot of players from us involved. A player from us won the Copa America and Olympics, so only the Euros we missed.

"That's why the pre-season was really difficult. The players step in, week by week, and I think one week before the start of the season, we had our final squad together. The transfer market due to coronavirus was also very different and late. That's why I'm very happy. We had good opponents."

"We were not happy with the last season," said Rolfes, whose Leverkusen finished sixth in 2020-21 while losing in the DFB-Pokal last 16 and Europa League round of 32. "A very good start but the end was difficult. We reached international competition okay, but we are ambitious and want more this season. You can imagine the Champions League is a big goal but also the DFB-Pokal and Europa League to go further.

"What's very important for our club is development. One thing is performance and also the result at the end of the season, but development is very important. Develop the players, make them better. Then we have the chance to also perform today in the best way. We have a lot of young players – we want to develop them to their best level. That's also good for the performance today."

Seoane's 13 points after six Bundesliga matches represent the best record of any Leverkusen head coach since Sami Hyypia (15) in 2013. For the North Rhine-Westphalia outfit, it is their best start to a top-flight season since 2019-20 (also 13), while they have only scored more goals after six matches in 2008-09 (18) than in the current campaign (16).

Leverkusen have exceeded their expected goals (xG) tally by almost eight goals this Bundesliga campaign – 7.7 (16 goals at 8.3 xG), a league best.

"One important point is football knowledge," Rolfes replied when asked what attracted Leverkusen to 42-year-old Swiss coach Seoane. "Also the leadership, that's very interesting. The leadership of the group as a head coach is very important. If you're in training, the assistant coaches can do things. If you don't feel so comfortable or don't have so many qualities, you can find the right team.

"The leadership as a head coach, you must have. That's a big strength, besides the football knowledge he has. He speaks six different languages – very good for an international squad to speak with the players in their language. That helps a lot to get the right connection to take them on their way and development."

Under Seoane, Leverkusen play a more patient brand of football, allowing their opposition more time on the ball in the Bundesliga rather than consistently pressing high up the field.

Through the first six games last season, Leverkusen allowed 11.1 passes per defensive action, compared to 12.2 with Seoane in charge, as Leverkusen look to instead create counter-attacks from deeper positions – their averaging starting distance at 38.6 metres from their own goal, compared to 42.2m previously. Their 17 direct attacks this term dwarf last year's six at the same stage.

Leverkusen recorded 8.7 high turnovers per match through six rounds last season, compared to 5.3 this time around, but they have scored four goals from such situations already in the Bundesliga – at least twice as many as any other side and more than any other team in Europe's top five leagues in 2021-22. They actually had fewer goals (three) from high turnovers after six games last time out, proving more ruthless this term.

Still, Leverkusen's philosophy remains the same, despite a new coach and altered approach, and it will continue to be the case with Seoane and beyond under Rolfes.

"We choose players, signing as a club," Rolfes said as he discussed the need to adopt a clear vision, instead of changing philosophy with every coach. "We sign the players for a specific style to get the most out of the squad, the player and to develop them in the best way. If you play in the totally other direction than you want to develop the players, you will not succeed. That's important to have a clear vision as a club. How you want to play and then choose the right coach in the best case.

"Every head coach of a pro team has their specific style. That's not the problem, but the main direction has to be clear. That's my task at the end to choose the right coach for the main direction. And then, the individual approach or quality of the coach, it's important you get something fresh in the club, team. The main direction is important and the club has to define the vision."

Leverkusen are one of Germany's biggest clubs, but not since the 1993 DFB-Pokal have they celebrated silverware.

They have come close on numerous occasions in the Bundesliga – runners-up in 1996-97, 1998-99, 1999-2000, 2001-02 and 2010-11 – while they also reached the 2001-02 Champions League final, succumbing to Real Madrid and Zinedine Zidane's iconic volley in Glasgow. There were Pokal final appearances in 2001-02, 2008-09 and 2019-20, too.

But an exciting and entertaining Leverkusen, even in the post-Havertz era, are on the right track amid Bayern's domestic and European dominance.

And that is thanks to teenage sensation Florian Wirtz.

The 18-year-old prodigy has continued to shine, filling the huge void left by countryman Havertz, amid rave reviews from across Europe.

Wirtz, who was prised from boyhood club Cologne last year, is the youngest player in Bundesliga history to reach 10 goals.

Leverkusen's Wirtz has already been directly involved in eight Bundesliga goals (four goals, four assists) in 292 minutes across the first six matchdays in 2021-22. Only Borussia Dortmund star Erling Haaland has had more direct goal involvements this term than the teenager.

Since Opta's detailed data collection began in 2004-05, only Patrick Helmes in 2008-09 and Stefan Kiessling in 2013-14 had previously registered as many direct goal involvements for Leverkusen after the first six matches to a Bundesliga season

Setting the standard across Europe, the new face of Leverkusen averages 37 minutes per goal involvement, which ranks best among players in the top five leagues (minimum 100 minutes played), ahead of Madrid superstar Karim Benzema (41 minutes). The 34-year-old Frenchman is the only one of those players to have exceeded his xG by a larger margin (4.8) than Wirtz (3.2) this season.

Already capped three times at international level, Wirtz has scored in four straight games, including Leverkusen's Europa League win against Ferencvaros on matchday one.

As Wirtz soars to new heights, Leverkusen are reaping the rewards of a unified philosophy and their faith in the midfielder.

"I think it's a real good example of how the club is working and how the club is thinking," Rolfes, who made almost 400 appearances for Leverkusen between 2005 and 2015, said. "The situation with Kai and Florian. Florian was here or came in the winter [of 2020] and made eight appearances after the lockdown with the first team. Then at the end of the [2019-20] season, Kai went to Chelsea.

"For sure, we got a lot of money for Kai, but we decided to focus on Florian Wirtz for the number 10 position. We don't sign any player as a replacement for Kai. For sure, we had some money to spend on an experienced player in the number 10 position, but we didn't do that. We said okay, the young guy will be the future and has the potential to replace or play very good in that position. We have him already in the club, so we trust him and try to develop him. That's why we sign players in other positions, where we needed improvement.

"That was a big sign for the player and for the chance you have as a young player in Leverkusen. If you have the ambition and quality, we count on you and give you the chance to develop. With development, there is also performance. That's why it's a great story for Florian but also for us as a club."

Wirtz's exploits have not gone unnoticed, however, with Bayern reportedly trying to sign the Germany international, while the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal have also been linked.

But Leverkusen have no plans to sell as Rolfes – who first watched Wirtz as a 13-year-old – added: "He has a long contract until 2026. We do not have to sell players early. We want to develop him, develop our team and club with him.

"So, there are rumours, okay. You cannot avoid that, but it's not our goal to sell him. The players at one time or point in their career make the next step to world-class level, that's okay for us, but not too early. He is a really young player. That was also with Kai – he was also extraordinary and some years with us and then maybe there's the next step. But not too early.

In February, Leverkusen extended their partnership with Stats Perform for the use of Edge Analysis – the most sophisticated football match preparation tool available.

Powered by tracking and event data, Edge Analysis applies unique AI models to unlock objective, dynamic and predictive insights to enhance pre and post-match analysis processes, delivering unique performance insights on all upcoming opponents. The platform uses over 100 AI-driven KPIs to deliver eight unique patented AI models, delivering objective insights within seconds, all linked to video.

"Data/sport technology is very important for us because I think there's huge potential in the future," Rolfes said of the deal. "Data will be better and better because the cameras/GPS tracking provides more precise data.

"We have now not only data in the computer and no one has the time to analyse it, we have the tools with AI, and find the right KPIs for you. That's very important for the match preparation and for the scouting process to be fast, really precise. That's why we invest in that topic here. That's through partnership and investing in our staff to get knowledge, to develop because, at the moment, we are only at the beginning. That's why you have to invest, to be a pioneer or leader in that topic."