Dutch-born Ghanaian forward Ernest Poku is on the verge of joining Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen from AZ Alkmaar in a deal worth €10 million plus €2 million in bonuses.
The 21-year-old arrived in Germany earlier today for his medical, the final step before signing a four-year contract that will keep him at the BayArena until 2029. Poku will become Leverkusen’s latest attacking reinforcement this summer, following the arrivals of Malik Tillman (€35m), Ibrahim Maza (€12m), Christian Kofane (€5.25m) and Farid Alfa-Ruprecht (€1.3m).
Poku played his final match for AZ last weekend, featuring for 77 minutes in their 4-1 Eredivisie opening-day victory over FC Groningen, where he assisted Denso Kasius.
Born in Hamburg to Ghanaian parents, Poku holds both Dutch and Ghanaian citizenship. During his time with Alkmaar, he registered six goals and 14 assists in 79 appearances across all competitions, including 10 outings in last season’s Europa League.
Although capped by the Netherlands at U19 and U21 level, Poku remains eligible to represent Ghana at senior international level.
