Bayer Leverkusen received a significant boost with the return of Nigerian striker Victor Boniface to training after a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

The 23-year-old had been out of action since January due to a serious injury that also prevented him from participating in the Africa Cup of Nations with the Super Eagles earlier this year.

Leverkusen shared a picture of Boniface back on the ball during a training session at the BayArena, indicating his first steps towards a comeback.

The image posted on Twitter was captioned: “Small steps, first time back on the ball! 😮‍💨🇳🇬 #Bayer04 #Werkself | @boniface_jrn”

The sight of Victor Boniface back in training will be a relief for Leverkusen fans, who have been concerned about the fitness of their key striker.

Boniface had been in exceptional form for the Bundesliga team before his injury, scoring 10 goals and providing seven assists in just 16 Bundesliga appearances.

His return will strengthen Xabi Alonso’s squad as they aim for their first-ever Bundesliga title.

While caution will be exercised in his reintegration, there are positive signs that Boniface will lead Leverkusen’s attack again before the season concludes.

Real Madrid are reportedly not willing to meet Bayern Munich’s asking price for Alphonso Davies this summer. Davies, whose contract expires in 2025, is rumored to be valued at €70 million or €50 million by Bayern.

However, Real Madrid plans to make a lower offer and is prepared to wait a year for his signature if they don’t get a deal they find acceptable.

Real Madrid already has Ferland Mendy and Fran Garcia under contract until 2025, and they also have the option to buy Miguel Gutierrez back from Girona for €8 million this summer. This reduces the urgency for Real Madrid to sign Davies this summer, despite their interest.

Bayern’s Sporting Director, Max Eberl, has expressed a desire not to lose players for free, indicating that they may consider selling Davies.

Davies’ agent is reportedly seeking a salary increase to €20 million per season from Bayern, up from the previous rumored €14 million per season.

It seems that Davies has his sights set on moving to Madrid sooner or later, regardless of Bayern’s efforts to renew his contract, although they are unlikely to match the salary demands mentioned.

Real Madrid believes they are winning the battle for Davies, which has been ongoing for over a year, and Bayern is expected to put him up for sale this summer if there are no changes.

However, if another team enters the race seriously for Davies, negotiations could become more complicated for Real Madrid. If Davies has committed to Real Madrid and no other team, Real Madrid will have the upper hand. Otherwise, the longer negotiations drag on, the higher the potential cost could be.

Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel expressed disappointment with his side’s first-half performance in the team’s 2-2 Bundesliga draw at Freiburg on Friday night.

Bayern aimed to close the gap on Bayer Leverkusen to five points but conceded an 87th-minute goal, settling for a point that reduced the deficit to seven.

Xabi Alonso’s men could increase their lead over Bayern to double digits by the end of the gameweek when they travel to FC Cologne on Sunday.

Tuchel admitted that his team were off the pace in the opening half, lacking in both attacking and defensive phases and allowing counter-attacks from Christian Streich’s men.

“Terrible half an hour from us,” Tuchel told ESPN. “10-15 minutes in the first half (were) not more than ok. Second half (was a) good half, with big chances, good spirit, much better discipline with much better quality in our match overall. We could have won, but we did not defend the throw-in (for Freiburg’s equaliser) how it’s needed to escape with a win.

“Overall we can say it was not enough in the first half to fully deserve the victory. We invited them for counterattacks, we had no structure at all. It was not good at all.”