Football
Mark Rodden 9y

Bayer Leverkusen pursuing deal for Chile's Charles Aranguiz

Bayer Leverkusen are keen to give Chile midfielder Charles Aranguiz his first taste of European football.

Aranguiz, 26, is in high demand after helping his country win the Copa America this summer.

The midfielder scored twice in a 5-0 group win against Bolivia before netting in the penalty shootout victory over Argentina in the final.

Aranguiz is currently with Brazilian club Internacional, who were this week knocked out of the Copa Libertadores at the semifinal stage by Mexican side Tigres.

English clubs are also interested in the player but he appears to be a top priority for Bayer Leverkusen.

"We absolutely want to sign the player and we'll continue to fight for him," Bayer CEO Michael Schade told Bild.

The Bundesliga club could potentially have an advantage over other suitors given that Arturo Vidal, a teammate of Aranguiz at international level, starred in Leverkusen after moving from Chile.

Vidal, who joined Bayer Leverkusen from Colo-Colo in 2007, looks set to join Bayern Munich from Juventus next week.

The Gazetta dello Sport in Italy says that Roma striker Mattia Destro, 24, could also link up with Roger Schmidt's side.

Bild suggests that Bayer could initially seek to bring the Italy international in on loan.

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