Bayer 04 sign Dragovic from Dynamo Kyiv

“Kyiv was the right and important club for me but now I’m attracted to the Bundesliga as one of the best leagues in the world,” said Dragovic. “It’s fantastic that I’ve been able join Bayer 04 as one of the top clubs in Germany and a Champions League side as well as playing alongside my international team-mates Julian Baumgartlinger and Ramazan Özcan.”

Bayer 04 CEO Michael Schade: “We set out to, and have achieved our target of keeping our squad together and strengthening it in certain areas. With Kevin Volland and Julian Baumgartlinger up front and in midfield we succeeded early on and now we’ve strengthened our defence with the addition of Aleksandar Dragovic. We’re happy our patience in this particularly difficult personnel matter has paid off. It wasn’t easy so we’re even happier it’s all worked out.”

Leverkusen sporting director Rudi Völler sees the signing as a further “important component in making our team competitive in Germany and in Europe. We are ambitious in all competitions,” declared Völler. “With Aleksandar Dragovic we are gaining another very experienced central defender. He has great quality and he is an addition for us in this position.”