Bayer 04 has laid the foundation for the upcoming season with the appointment of Carles Martinez as the new coach of the Werkself. Now it's about targeting the squad and bringing in more talent. The Leverkusener club officials have their eyes on a player from the 2nd league: Kennet Eichhorn from Hertha BSC. A decision on the 16-year-old top talent is expected by mid-month. Asked about the interest of the Rhinelanders in the German U17 national player, Coach Martinez and Sport Director Simon Rolfes remained silent. However, their smiles during the joint presentation on Friday betrayed more than a thousand words: The hopes in Leverkusen are high to sign the defensive midfielder and promote his development. Bayer is willing to pay a total of around 20 million euros including a transfer fee for the youngster. Martinez said: „I know he's a big talent in Germany. I love developing young players.“ Rolfes referred to Leverkusen's success story, enabling young players to take the next step in their careers - without specifically mentioning Eichhorn. The league rivals were more open. Bayern Munich's sports director Max Eberl said: „If we see Kennet Eichhorn, we wouldn't do our job right if we didn't deal with him.“ Dortmund's sports director Ole Book also confirmed his interest in the youngster: „We like him - like many other clubs.“ However, both the FCB and the BVB have reportedly dropped out of the race for the Berlin-born footballer. It's a different story for the English top clubs FC Liverpool and Manchester City, as well as RB Leipzig - they remain in the running. A decision on the youngest player in the league's history is expected in the coming days. According to reports, his exit clause of around 9-12 million euros must be triggered by June 15. After that, Hertha BSC will be free to negotiate. And demand more. Bayer Leverkusen has a good chance of success in this transfer, thanks to a recent success story. Last season, the Werkself had positive experiences with a talent from the Hauptstadt club. Ibrahim Maza moved to Bayer for 12 million euros in the summer, played a strong debut season and is now representing Algeria in his first World Cup. The market value of the 20-year-old is estimated at around 45 million euros - a testament to the development work in Leverkusen. However, the Maza success story is not the only argument for a move to the Rhineland. Bayer has recently signed Konstantinos Kotsifakis, a close friend of Eichhorn's, as a co-trainer for the U19 team. The 29-year-old will work closely with the young loan players of the Leverkusener, including Artem Stepanov (FC Utrecht), Abdoulaye Faye (FC Lorient) and Farid Alfa-Ruprecht and Francis Onyeka (both VfL Bochum). For Eichhorn, this could be the first step in a successful career at Bayer Leverkusen.