Bayer 04 sign Fosu-Mensah from Manchester United

"Timothy Fosu-Mensah is a technically gifted, fast and physically strong defender who can play both as a right back as well as in the centre," said Bayer 04 sporting director Simon Rolfes. "With this signing, we have not only gained another top alternative in defence given the absence of Santiago Arias and Mitchell Weiser. Tim is still young and has potential. He will help us over the long term."

Sporting managing director Rudi Völler sees the Dutchman, who came through the youth ranks at Ajax, as "a valuable addition to our squad. We face major challenges on the pitch in the coming weeks. We need players who can handle it and consistently produce top performances," said Völler. "Timothy Fosu-Mensah meets our requirements. He has gained lots of experience in the Premier League since 2017 and has the footballing quality to help us achieve our targets."

The number 24 shirt

For Fosu-Mensah, who has made three full international appearances for his home country, the move to Leverkusen represents a "step into a totally interesting and very strong league with Bayer 04 being one of the best teams for years. I'm really looking forward to joining the team and working with Peter Bosz,” he declared. "I've talked to the coach a lot in the past few days and the conversations with Simon Rolfes and Rudy Völler convinced me there are great prospects at Leverkusen. Both for me personally as well as for the team. It will be really exciting," said Fosu-Mensah who will wear the number 24 shirt at Bayer 04.