Germany's Kicker Magazine has reported that Landon Donovan will on Jan. 1 rejoin Bayer Leverkusen, the club he signed with in 1999 at age 16 and which has loaned him to the San Jose Earthquakes since 2001.
Donovan's representative, SportsNet, said it could not confirm the report, but Donovan, 22, is expected to attend Leverkusen's home game Saturday with Freiburg while meeting with club officials.
Leverkusen, which owns Donovan's contract through 2008, is in eighth place in the German First Division and tied for first with Dynamo Kiev and Real Madrid in Group B of the Champions League. Should Leverkusen advance to the knockout stage, Donovan would be eligible for the competition.
Donovan had previously stated that he did not enjoy his stint as a teenager with Leverkusen's youth and lower-division reserve teams. He since played in the 2002 World Cup, during which his performances made him well respected in Germany. Leverkusen was subsequently criticized for not having kept Donovan happy during his stay with the club. Donovan helped San Jose win the 2001 and 2003 MLS titles.
Leverkusen pulled off impressive wins this season, including a 3-0 win over Real Madrid and 4-1 shellacking of Bayern Munich.
''You can never have too many good players,'' said Leverkusen coach Klaus Augenthaler.