It did not look good at first sight. Karim Bellarabi overstretched his right knee during a session on Saturday (4 August) in Zell am See. He remained on the ground for several minutes and had to receive treatment. Karim wanted to train with the team in the afternoon but the medical section decided to take him out of training for a closer examination.
He underwent an MRI scan. The diagnosis: a slight strain to the anterior cruciate ligament. Following discussions with the doctors, head coach Heiko Herrlich decided to rest Karim for two weeks.
Charles Aranguiz (knee) will also have to wait for a couple of days. The Chilean midfielder has worked well on his own but he will not be able to join in with team training this week.
The same applies to Leon Bailey, who picked up a painful shoulder injury in the friendly against Basaksehir Istanbul. Heiko Herrlich believes the Jamaican will rejoin his team-mates in training next Tuesday. He will not be available for the DFB Cup game at Pforzheim (18 August).
Isaac Kiese Thelin could feature in the friendly against Valencia (11 August). The Swede trained for the first time with his new team-mates on Wednesday and he made a good impression. "He scored five goals with headers," reported Heiko Herrlich. "Of course, he needs time to settle in but we want to take him to Valencia."
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended youngster Montrell Culbreath's contract once again. Having only signed a deal with the Bundesliga club until 30 June 2030 in January, still as an U19 player, the attacking midfielder, who's since established himself in the first-team squad, has penned a new contract valid until 30 June 2031. Culbreath joined the Werkself academy in 2023 and made 16 first-team appearances in the 2025/26 season in the Bundesliga, DFB Pokal and Champions League, scoring one goal.
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Ecuador international Piero Hincapie, who moved to Arsenal FC on loan from Bayer 04 Leverkusen for the 2025/26 season, will join the English champions permanently on 1 July 2026.
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The date and kick-off time for Bayer 04’s match in the first round of the 2026/27 DFB Pokal have been confirmed. The Werkself face SV Wehen Wiesbaden on Saturday afternoon, 22 August, at 13:00 CEST. The German Football Association (DFB) announced this today, Wednesday. The Pokal tie against the Hessen state cup winners will be played at the BRITA Arena. Ticket information to follow at a later date.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro will lead a club delegation to Brazil from July 2-6 for a program of partner engagement, community activities and football development initiatives across São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended the contract of promising striker Amy Wrigge on a long-term basis. The 18-year-old Germany U19 international, currently recovering from a torn cruciate in her left knee, has signed a new contract to 30 June 2029.
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