Leverkusen sign Son, Schuerrle close to Chelsea move

BERLIN (Reuters) – Bayer Leverkusen have signed
South Korean forward Son Heung-min from
Hamburg SV and have agreed with Chelsea for the
transfer of winger Andre Schuerrle as the club
prepare for next season’s Champions League, they
said on Thursday.
The 20-year-old Son, who was outstanding last
season, signed a five-year deal with Leverkusen,
paving the way for Schuerrle’s much-expected
transfer to the London club.
“We made it clear from the start that a transfer of
Schuerrle to Chelsea would only happen if an
adequate sporting alternative was possible,” said
club president Wolfgang Holzhaeuser whose team
finished third in the Bundesliga.
“This alternative was now taken under contract
with Son Heung-Min and so there is nothing
blocking Andre Schuerrle’s transfer from our side.”
Versatile midfielder Schuerrle still needs to pass his
medical at Chelsea, Holzhaeuser said, adding that
the two clubs had reached a basic agreement for
the transfer of the 22-year-old Germany
international who scored 11 league goals last
season.
Son notched 12 goals in the last Bundesliga
campaign for Hamburg but his former team,
whose youth academy he joined after high school
in South Korea, missed out on the European
spots.