Report: Two clubs ask about Boniface as Leverkusen open the door

Bayer Leverkusen are ready to let Super Eagles striker Victor Boniface leave in January, either permanently or on another loan, after two clubs asked about his availability, according to Sky Sport Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg.

The report, relayed by Afrik-Foot on Friday, says Boniface wants to go and that the Bundesliga club are prepared to let him. Neither of the two interested clubs has been named.

It is a shift in tone from October, when Boniface was first reported to want out and Leverkusen managing director Simon Rolfes played the story down.

14 Bundesliga minutes and no Europa League place

The numbers explain why the striker is looking elsewhere. Boniface has played 14 minutes across two Bundesliga appearances this season, plus a brief run-out in the DFB-Pokal, and he was left out of Leverkusen's Europa League squad.

Under head coach Carles Martínez he has dropped to third choice behind Patrik Schick and Christian Kofane. His 2025-26 season on loan at Werder Bremen did not change his standing at the BayArena, and his contract still runs until June 2028.

That is a long way from his first season in Germany. Signed from Union Saint-Gilloise in August 2023, he scored regularly as Leverkusen won the 2023-24 Bundesliga title unbeaten.

Analysis: the loan option is the key detail

Leverkusen's willingness to discuss a loan matters more than the interest itself. A permanent fee for a striker with a contract to 2028 would need a buyer ready to commit big money in January; a loan lowers that bar, so more clubs can realistically take part.

For Boniface, the priority is minutes. A striker of his profile needs a run of starts to rebuild form, and a club where he is first choice would do more for him than a bigger name where he waits again.

There is a Nigeria angle too. Boniface is not in Eric Chelle's squad for the Tanzania double-header, and a forward who barely plays for his club has little chance of forcing his way back into a Super Eagles attack with plenty of competition.

The timing is tight but workable. The Bundesliga window runs through January, as our guide to the January deadlines sets out, and the next step is whether either of the two clubs turns its enquiry into an offer.