Leon Bailey told to bide his time by Leverkusen team-mate Sven Bender

Leon Bailey has been told by his Bayer Leverkusen team-mate Sven Bender to continue his development in Germany and not get caught up in the hype surrounding the youngster.

The 20-year-old has impressed in the Bundesliga this season, scoring nine goals to attract serious interest from Premier League clubs Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal.

But despite admitting his desire to play at the 'highest level', Bailey has been advised to continue his rise to stardom in Germany for the foreseeable future.

Speaking to Goal, Bender said: 'He has got special abilities, he is incredibly fast and great at dribbling. But we did not expect that he would explode that fast. This example shows that football is a fast-paced business.

'It is important that he handles the hype around him correctly and does not want too much too fast. Now everybody comes to him and suddenly wants something from him.

'He is only 20 years old and therefore still has development potential. He is a great player and will probably leave one day for a high fee, but I wish him to stay with us for a long time.'

United, Chelsea and Arsenal have all watched Bailey in action this season, while other clubs around Europe have also been keeping tabs on him.

The former Genk winger has been in sensational form for Leverkusen, helping them to fifth in the table and into the German Cup semi-finals.

While admitting it would take an enormous fee to lure Bailey from Leverkusen, Bender also took aim at the outrageous transfer fees in the game.

'Of course the sums are very high at the moment,' the former Dortmund man added. 'If someone is willing to pay this money for a football player, it is okay. You can't blame the player for costing a lot of money. It is a question of supply and demand.

'It is a little bit unreal and far from reality. I hope someday it will find an end.'