Super Eagles striker Victor Boniface has resumed training with Bayer Leverkusen after a potential €15m per season transfer to Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr fell through.
Boniface, who had been excused from both training and Leverkusen’s UEFA Champions League squad on Wednesday, wasted no time in posting a photo of himself alongside teammates during Thursday’s training session following the announcement.
Despite reports of swift negotiations between Leverkusen and Al Nassr, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano revealed that the deal was ultimately not approved by the Saudi club.
“Victor Boniface and Al Nassr, deal off,” Romano posted via X.
“The Nigerian striker won’t join the club; the deal was advanced but never done as Al Nassr never gave the final green light.”
Leverkusen were going to be paid €60m, €10m more than their asking price of €50m for the player if the transfer was successful.
Al Nassr’s reasons for not proceeding with the deal are related to their pursuit of Aston Villa’s John Duran, a player they also identified before going for Boniface.
According to reports, Boniface was only the club’s second-choice option behind Duran but they had to prioritise the Nigerian’s negotiations because of Villa’s stance which did not guarantee a successful outcome for Duran talks initially.
However, that all changed on Wednesday after fresh rounds of negotiations. Villa significantly softened their stance and have now agreed to sell Duran to Saudi Arabia for a guaranteed fee worth €77m plus potential add-ons, according to David Ornstein of The Athletic.
The Colombian has already agreed to a five-and-a-half-year contract and will head to London on Thursday to undergo his medical.
Al-Nassr is pushing to finalize the deal quickly, as the Saudi transfer window closes on January 31, while the English window runs until February 3.
As for Boniface, he will remain with Leverkusen for now, unless another offer meets the club’s valuation.
Leverkusen is open to selling the Nigerian, whom they signed for €20m plus add-ons in the summer of 2023.
Boniface played a pivotal role in the club’s double success last season, contributing 21 goals and 10 assists in 34 appearances across all competitions.
This season, he has scored 8 goals and provided 1 assist in 15 games, recently returning from a thigh injury that sidelined him since November 2024.