Bayer Leverkusen director Simon Rolfes has said that his side are "very relaxed" amid claims that Manchester United want to sign Jeremie Frimpong during the January transfer window.
The 22-year-old came through the youth system at Manchester City, representing the club between 2010 and 2019, but he left for Celtic without making a first-team appearance.
The Netherlands international was a regular during his two seasons at Celtic, featuring on 51 occasions in all competitions, and he then made the move to Leverkusen in the summer of 2021.
Frimpong has featured on 68 occasions for his German side, contributing seven goals and 13 assists in the process, including five goals and three assists in 21 outings during the 2022-23 campaign.
The defender was named in the Holland squad for the 2022 World Cup, but he did not make a single appearance for Louis van Gaal's side at the competition.
© Reuters
Man United are believed to have identified Frimpong as a leading transfer target, with the Red Devils looking to bring in a new right-back in January.
Diogo Dalot is currently first choice in that area of the field, with the Portugal international enjoying a strong campaign, but his back-up, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, is out of favour.
Wan-Bissaka could be on the move during the January market, which would lead to the 20-time English champions signing a right-sided defender at the start of 2023.
Frimpong has a contract at Leverkusen until June 2025, placing the German side in a strong position when it comes to his future, and Rolfes has said that Die Werkself "are very relaxed" over the situation.
© Reuters
"We are very relaxed with Jeremie. It would be fatal if he didn't draw attention to himself from big clubs with these performances," Rolfes told Sky Deutschland.
"He is very conspicuous with his way of playing and is an enormously important player for us. I told him that he will still get his playing time with his quality within the tournament.
"He can decide a game with a single action because he's incredibly quick and good at dribbling. We'll be happy when he's back [after the World Cup] with us. Jeremie has a long-term contract at Leverkusen, so we're very relaxed."
Frimpong has scored five goals and registered one assist in 15 Bundesliga appearances this season, while he provided two assists in five outings in the group stage of the Champions League.
