Maza Transfer Battle: Arsenal, Manchester United, and European Giants Eye Midfielder
The race for Maza is turning into one of Europe’s sharpest transfer battles, with Bayer Leverkusen braced for a queue of heavyweight suitors at their door.
Arsenal and Manchester United have been leading the Premier League chase, but the field is getting crowded. Manchester City and Atletico Madrid have now joined the hunt, with both clubs understood to be in regular contact with the midfielder’s camp to stay updated on any change in his situation.
This isn’t a case of a hidden gem anymore. Since arriving at the BayArena in the summer of 2025 from Hertha BSC, the Algerian international has exploded into one of the Bundesliga’s most exciting young creators. His rise has been rapid, his reputation spreading quickly across the continent.
Leverkusen know exactly what they’ve got. German champions, stacked with talent, and under no obligation to sell, they hold all the cards. Maza is locked into a long-term deal until June 2030, a contract that gives the Werkself serious power in any negotiation and plenty of time to decide when – and if – they want to cash in.
So the price is high. According to Fussball News, Leverkusen have placed a hefty valuation on their playmaker and could demand up to €70m. It’s a figure that speaks not just to what he is now, but to what he could become over the next decade.
That number hasn’t scared England. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and the recruitment team at Old Trafford are actively searching for players who can bring invention in the final third, the kind of subtlety and imagination that can unpick low blocks and stubborn defensive lines. On paper, Maza is exactly that profile.
What makes him even more attractive is his flexibility. His natural home is as a number ten, floating between the lines and threading passes into dangerous areas. But he has already shown he can drop deeper as a central midfielder, helping to knit play together, or slide out towards the flanks to overload wide areas. For modern coaches, that tactical range is gold.
Analysts love the numbers and the eye test tells the same story. Maza combines sharp acceleration with flair on the ball, a blend that makes him a constant menace when he turns and drives at defenders. Add in his vision and weight of pass, and he becomes the kind of player who can tilt a game with a single action.
He is not just a club prospect either. With Algeria, he already has 21 caps and two goals to his name, a solid return that underlines his ability to handle pressure on the international stage at a very young age. Big crowds, big expectations, big moments – he has tasted them early.
All of that feeds the speculation swirling around his future. The Premier League’s pull is strong: money, spotlight, and the chance to test himself in what many consider the toughest league in the world. But the flip side is clear. A move to one of Europe’s giants can just as easily mean a season spent watching from the bench, development slowed at the very moment it should be accelerating.
For a 20-year-old, that calculation is everything. Regular minutes, a defined role, and a system that suits his technical strengths will matter more than badge prestige. If he does walk away from the Bundesliga, the next step cannot simply be the biggest name on the contract. It has to be the club that offers him a genuine route into the starting XI and a project built to match his trajectory.
