The central midfielder will play for the Bayer 04 U19 team. 16-year-old Sertdemir, who is of Turkish descent, is set to start with the first team squad in the pre-season under the new Leverkusen head coach Gerardo Seoane. The Swiss coach will meet up with his players for the first time on 5 July in Leverkusen.
“Zidan Sertdemir has a special talent. His signing is a great success for our scouting department after having had him on their radar for three years,” reported Bayer 04 sporting director Simon Rolfes. “We see great potential in Zidan and believe he will make the grade in professional football. That’s why we are including him in training with the first team straight away. Zidan should get experience with the senior squad early on and then take his time in moving up to the next level.”
The FIFA World Cup 2026 in the USA, Canada and Mexico is underway. A total of eight Leverkusen players are taking part in the 23rd World Cup, with 48 teams in the tournament for the first time. Bayer04.de brings you all the latest from Werkself players at the World Cup.
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Following the summer break of around two months, the Bayer 04 first team squad took to the training pitches at the BayArena for the first time on Tuesday – and the players were in high spirits. Alongside the newly formed coaching team led by head coach Carles Martínez, new signing Afonso Moreira also completed his first session with the squad. In front of several hundred Bayer 04 fans at the open session, numerous Werkself players worked up a good sweat. The Leverkusen players who took part in the World Cup will join pre-season training at a later date.
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In mid-August, the Werkself will set off on a four-day trip to England to play their final two friendly matches of the 2026/27 pre-season against Premier League clubs Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United. The match in Nottingham against the Tricky Trees is on Wednesday 12 August at 20:45 CEST (19:45 BST) at the City Ground. The game against the Magpies in Newcastle is on Saturday 15 August at 16:00 CEST (15:00 BST) at the atmospheric St James’ Park. Details on ticket sales for both matches.
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Black and Red talent development at the highest level – even off the pitch: Apprentices Jule Suermann, Leandra Bellia and Julia Niederheide have successfully completed their two- or three-year apprenticeships at the club. Bayer 04 honoured the trio at the BayArena on Tuesday.
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