Christian Kofane responds to Arsenal links and €100m claim

Following an impressive first season at Bayer Leverkusen, Christian Kofane has been linked with a move away from the BayArena, with Arsenal reportedly among his suitors.

The 20-year-old forward, however, insists he hasn’t heard anything about the Gunners’ alleged interest.

“No, that didn’t reach me. My agent apparently spoke to one or two people. I myself didn’t have any contact with anyone,” he told Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger.

Kofane’s agent, Eric Depolo, described him as a “€100m player” in an interview earlier this year, but that claim has apparently gone unnoticed by the striker, too.

“Wow. No, I didn’t know that. You clearly don’t know me: I don’t concern myself with social media and things like that,” he said.

Valued at €40m by Transfermarkt, Kofane was asked whether he believes that valuation is appropriate.

“No. My agent can say whatever he wants, and the media can say whatever they want about it. I’m here to play football,” he said.

Asked whether he has a career plan, the 20-year-old responded with a laugh:

“As I said, at the moment I’m focused on playing football. But now that you’ve brought it up, I suppose I’ll have to start thinking about it.”

Kofane remains under contract with Leverkusen until 2029.