Victor Boniface’s expected transfer to Al Nassr is officially off. The Bayer Leverkusen forward, who had already undergone a medical and reached verbal agreements, will remain in Germany as the Saudi club pulled out of the deal unexpectedly.
Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg broke the news on Wednesday night, revealing that Leverkusen’s sporting director Simon Rolfes confirmed the collapse just moments earlier. Plettenberg shared on X:
“Victor Boniface to Al-Nassr, 100% off. Deal has finally collapsed tonight, as Leverkusen boss Simon Rolfes confirmed just a few seconds ago.
Despite all verbal agreements and the completed medical check, Al-Nassr have canceled the deal with Boniface and Bayer 04.
The delegation is returning to Saudi Arabia without Boniface. Al-Nassr have decided to sign Jhon Duran from Aston Villa instead.”
Boniface had already been excluded from Leverkusen’s squad for their Champions League clash against Sparta Prague, which ended in a 2-0 victory for the German club. However, coach Xabi Alonso confirmed that the Nigerian forward would now stay with the Bundesliga leaders.
“He will train again tomorrow. I believe he is staying with us,” Alonso said post-match. “So I have to say that I am satisfied, I am happy.”
Alonso also hinted that Boniface could feature in Leverkusen’s upcoming Bundesliga match against Hoffenheim.
Despite being sidelined since November due to injury, Boniface had returned to Leverkusen’s bench in recent games. Now, with his future settled—at least for the time being—he looks set to help the team’s push for domestic and European success.