Bayer 04 is still looking for reinforcements on the right wing. Jonathan Clauss from OGC Nice fits the bill. The French international is set to leave the south of France.
When it was announced on Tuesday that Bayer 04 was loaning 19-year-old Argentine top talent Claudio Echeverri from Manchester City, many observers rightly pointed out that Bayer would also benefit from one or two experienced players to successfully manage the upheaval this summer.
One such experienced player who can be relied upon to deliver regular performances has now apparently caught the eye of the club. French journalist and transfer expert Santi Aouna reports that Jonathan Clauss could leave OGC Nice a year before his contract expires. An interested club is reportedly in a good position to sign the 32-year-old.
The French international fits the profile perfectly
Aouna does not name the club, but it is believed to be Bayer 04 Leverkusen. The German runners-up are still looking for a fast player for the right side of their 3-4-3 system who can also make an impact in attack by scoring goals. Clauss fits the profile perfectly with his dynamism and ability to deliver good crosses.
The French international (14 caps, two goals), who last played for Les Bleus in September 2024 and was still in the French squad for the Nations League in March, scored three goals and provided eight assists in 28 Ligue 1 appearances for Nice last season. In the past five seasons in France, his overall record for Lens, Marseille, and Nice, where he played either as a winger or right-back, was 159 games in Ligue 1 with 16 goals and 38 assists.
Clauss would not be a long-term solution, but he would be a quick fix.
As Clauss’ contract, who played 62 second division games (eight goals/eleven assists) for Arminia Bielefeld from 2018 to 2020, expires in Nice in the summer of 2026, the right-footed player is unlikely to cost a high transfer fee. The professional would not be a long-term solution, but he would provide immediate help on the right side, for which Bayer recently signed development player Ernest Poku (21).
