Atletico Madrid Target Bayer Leverkusen’s Maza Amidst Rising Price

Diego Simeone has gone back to an old obsession.

Atletico Madrid have reignited their pursuit of Bayer Leverkusen’s 20-year-old Algerian playmaker Maza, pushing hard to bolster a midfield that Simeone clearly feels still needs another spark of invention.

According to Bulinews, Atletico’s sporting bosses have already picked up the phone to Leverkusen to formally register their interest. No testing of the waters. A direct approach.

They hit the same wall as everyone else.

Leverkusen have no plans to sell and have made that stance plain. The Bundesliga leaders see Maza as a cornerstone of their project, not a tradeable asset, and any negotiation is expected to be gruelling at best, impossible at worst.

The scale of Atletico’s challenge is obvious when you follow the money. Maza arrived at Leverkusen from Hertha Berlin in the summer of 2025 for around €12 million. Since then, his value has rocketed. With a contract that runs until June 2030, the German club can dictate terms, and any deal now is understood to require a fee in the region of €70 million.

This is not a new crush from Madrid, either.

As beIN Sports journalist Hafid Derradji has reported, Atletico tried to land Maza while he was still at Hertha, lodging a €35 million bid that was swiftly rejected. The answer back then was a firm no. The response today feels even stronger.

Maza’s rise explains the persistence. He has forced his way into Leverkusen’s XI and stayed there, now regarded as an automatic starter. The Algerian international has already produced one goal and two assists from just four starts this season, missing only the club’s Europa League opener through illness.

Those numbers, combined with his profile and age, have alerted Europe’s elite.

Atletico are not alone in the chase. Arsenal and Manchester City both showed concrete interest during the summer window, but Leverkusen refused to engage, making it crystal clear that the 20-year-old was not for sale at any price they deemed realistic.

So Leverkusen have moved from defence to attack.

Bild report that the club are already working hard on a fresh contract that would extend Maza’s stay well beyond 2030. Initial talks with his representatives started last week. No agreement yet, but the intent is obvious: lock down their playmaker and close the door on predators circling from La Liga and the Premier League.

The package on the table is expected to be lucrative.

Leverkusen are ready to significantly upgrade his current €3 million-per-season salary, turning his status as a key player into a wage that reflects it. The hope inside the club is simple – that financial recognition, combined with a central sporting role, will convince Maza to commit his prime years to the BayArena.

Atletico, Arsenal, City: they can all wait by the phone.

The next signature Maza pens will decide whether this turns into a transfer saga, or whether Europe’s big spenders are left chasing a midfielder who has already chosen his side.