The attacking midfielder caught the attention of the German champions, but opted instead to a move to the BayArena, where he feels he is likely to be afforded more game time
Hakan Calhanoglu has revealed that he turned down the chance to join Bayern Munich in favour of a move to Bayer Leverkusen as he feels his new club are at the same level as the reigning Bundesliga titleholders.
The attacking midfielder has acknowledged that most players would have jumped at the chance to sign for the champions, but he has no regrets over his decision to leave Hamburg for the BayArena instead.
“My agent told me that Bayern wanted me as well. It might be true that nearly everybody wants to join Bayern, but Leverkusen are on par with Bayern for me,” Calhanoglu told Hamburger Morgenpost.
“Of course, Bayern are the best, but Leverkusen are regularly challenging for a top-four spot as well. We can compete with Bayern, Dortmund and Schalke.
“And I have the chance to play on a regular basis here in Leverkusen. I simply have better prospects here than at Bayern and that’s important to me as a young player.”
Calhanoglu, 20, netted 11 goals in 32 Bundesliga appearances for HSV last term.