Manchester City Target Ibo Maza from Leverkusen
Manchester City know this market well. When Pep Guardiola goes shopping in the Bundesliga, he rarely leaves empty-handed.
Josko Gvardiol from RB Leipzig for €90m in 2023. Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund a year earlier. Now, with Bernardo Silva finally heading for the exit, attention is drifting towards Leverkusen and one of the league’s most intriguing new playmakers: Ibo Maza.
This is not a scattergun search. City need a midfielder who can live in tight spaces, dictate tempo and still hurt opponents in the final third. Bernardo has done it since 2017, a constant reference point in Guardiola’s system, but his expiring contract will not be renewed. A major creative void is opening up.
Maza, just a year into his Leverkusen adventure, has forced his way into that conversation.
From Hertha to the heart of Leverkusen
Leverkusen plucked Maza from second-tier Hertha BSC last summer for €12m. It looked like a smart, medium-term project. It has turned into an instant hit.
The attacking midfielder accelerated through the adaptation phase, claimed a first-team place and refused to give it back. Indispensable is no longer an exaggeration on the Rhine.
Across 38 appearances for the Werkself, Maza has produced five goals and six assists. The numbers don’t scream superstardom yet, but the influence does: he connects lines, breaks pressure, and turns promising positions into genuine chances. In a side built on fluidity and rotations, he has become one of the fixed points.
Leverkusen moved early to protect that asset. Maza is under contract until 2030, a statement in itself. They know what they have.
Rolfes draws a line in the sand
Inside the club, there is no appetite to cash in quickly. Sporting director Simon Rolfes made that perfectly clear in mid-March on Sport1’s “Doppelpass” when asked about a possible return for Julian Brandt, who is due to leave Dortmund on a free transfer this summer.
Rolfes shut the door.
“We have a superb player in that position in Ibo Maza, who will develop excellently over the coming years. For that reason, Julian will not be on our radar.”
That sentence did two things at once: it ended talk of Brandt and underlined how central Maza has become to Leverkusen’s long-term plan. The message to suitors was obvious – if you want him, you’ll have to pay for the privilege.
Heavyweights line up – but there’s a price
Interest has not been slow. Alongside City, AC Milan and Atlético Madrid have been linked with the Algerian international in recent weeks. Three different leagues, three different styles, one common theme: clubs looking for a modern attacking midfielder with edge and upside.
Leverkusen’s stance is firm. They are only prepared to seriously engage if someone meets their €45m valuation. No drawn-out bargaining, no cut-price deal. For a player signed for €12m just a year ago, it would represent a sizeable profit, but the club are in a position to say no.
City, of course, know this terrain. One small detail may help them: Maza is represented by the same agency that handled Omar Marmoush’s move from Eintracht Frankfurt to the Skyblues in early 2025. Those channels are open, the relationships tested. In a tight race for a coveted talent, that can shave time and friction off a negotiation.
A World Cup shop window
If Maza’s profile is already rising in club football, the international stage could send it into another stratosphere.
Born in Berlin, he came through the DFB youth system and represented Germany from U18 to U20 level. The technique, the game intelligence, the positional understanding – all shaped in the German structure. But his roots stretch further: a father from Algeria, a mother from Vietnam, a background that has given him options and, eventually, a decision to make.
He chose Algeria.
Maza made his senior debut for the North African nation in October 2024 and then used the Africa Cup of Nations a few months later to underline why they fought for him. Strong performances there have turned him into one of Algeria’s great hopes heading into this summer’s World Cup.
The stage will not be gentle. Algeria have been drawn into a demanding group with defending champions Argentina, Austria and Jordan. Every touch will be scrutinised, every surge between the lines weighed against the best. For Maza, it is both a test and an opportunity.
Shine there, and that €45m valuation starts to look conservative. Struggle, and Leverkusen’s resolve to keep him in the Rhineland may harden.
City’s next Bundesliga raid?
For now, Leverkusen stand firm. A long contract, a central role, a sporting director publicly backing his man. They see Maza as a pillar of their future, not a chip to be cashed in at the first big offer.
But City’s need is real. Bernardo Silva is leaving a hole that cannot be patched with just any talented midfielder. Guardiola has gone to Germany before when he needed a specific profile, and he has usually come back with exactly what he wanted.
If Maza lights up the World Cup in Algerian green, the tug-of-war will only intensify. The question is simple: will Leverkusen’s resolve outlast Europe’s growing temptation – or are we watching the early chapters of City’s next Bundesliga coup?
