After eight years at Anfield, Joel Matip has recently become a free agent. In 20 days, he will turn 33, and some sources even hinted he is ready to retire, considering his cruciate ligament tear, which kept him off the pitch for more than 200 days.🚨🔴 Bayer 04 Leverkusen is very interested to sign Joel #Matip as a free agent! First talks took place. Xavi Alonso wants to strengthen the team with an experienced central defender. @berger_pj | @Sky_Marlon89 | @SkySportDE 🇨🇲 pic.twitter.com/1JvjKOowR5— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) July 18, 2024 However, the Cameroonian’s experience drew the attention of one particular club and coach. The club is the undefeated Bundesliga champion Bayer Leverkusen and the coach is Matip’s former club’s legend Xabi Alonso. As per Sky journalist Patrick Berger, not only is the Spaniard interested in bringing the centre-back, but contact between the club and the player’s representatives has already been made. This might indicate that German international Jonathan Tah is likely to leave BayArena soon. For Alonso, an experienced defender would be an ideal replacement and apart from Matip, another free agent, Mats Hummels, is also an option.Alonso candidly on his moments of doubt: ‘How did I get into this crazy profession?’Matip has won six trophies in total with Liverpool, including the Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup, EFL Cup, etc. Hence, the Cameroonian knows how to win silverware, and that’s exactly what Alonso needs. In addition, Matip was born and raised in Germany, spent seven years in Schalke, and is very well aware of how things work in the Bundesliga. However, the potential problem with the 32-year-old is his proneness to injuries. Throughout his eight-year spell with Liverpool, Matip has been out due to injuries for more than 800 days! Subsequently, he is still recovering from the knee injury, and his eventual arrival in Germany would certainly depend on his medical condition.##NAJAVA_MECA_8216019##
