The Germany keeper signed a contract to 30 June 2020, "because I feel at home here in Leverkusen. Over the past few years I've seen constant improvement, not just with my game, but in the whole team and am completely convinced that this is the right step for me," said Leno. "This club has set itself very ambitious targets and I share them too."
The sporting director Rudi Völler believes the agreement with the 24-year-old is "incredibly important. Bernd has always believed in our club – and we in him too – and we took him on as a 19-year-old from the third division to become our regular first choice keeper," declared Völler. "He's a player that wants to go places with us. So I'm very happy that we were able to extend his contract."
CEO Michael Schade also sees the agreement with Leno as "an enormously important factor in building a Werkself team for the future. Bernd is a great goalkeeper," added Schade. "For the past five years he's proved this week by week, game by game. In the truest sense of the word we have secured the services of an exceptional shot-stopper over the long term."
With this successful move in building the squad head coach Roger Schmidt has secured another key position following the contract extensions with Karim Bellarabi and Wendell: "In spite of his youth Bernd has established himself as a key player for Bayer 04, is improving year by year and deservedly a key part of the Germany senior side," said Schmidt. "He's a complete goalkeeper even if he has the potential to improve even further. When you can secure a key player like that then it's a good sign for the club and for us as a team."
Rüdiger Vollborn has been at the club for 40 years, he holds the record number of Bundesliga appearances for the club (401) and is the only Bayer 04 player to have won both the UEFA Cup (1988) and the DFB Pokal (1993). And the Berliner stayed with the Werkself after ending his impressive playing career as he worked as a goalkeeping coach for the following nine years. Vollborn now works under the Bayer Cross as a fan liaison officer and club archivist. Since February 2021, the personalised Black and Red lexicon takes Werkself fans under the heading of 'Rudi recounts...' on a brief trip through the history of Bayer 04 every month…
Show moreTo all Bayer 04 fans: The Fanwelt will be closed all day next Monday 30 June. This is due to preparations for the change of kit supplier from Castore to New Balance on Tuesday 1 July.
Show moreThe Norway U23 international Julie Jorde has completed the move from Bayer 04 Leverkusen to Brøndby IF. The twelve-time champions of Denmark have signed the midfielder on permanent terms after her loan move from the Bundesliga to Denmark in the winter.
Show moreIt is almost two years since Bayer 04 new signing Abdoulaye Faye first stepped foot into the BayArena as a player for the Swedish club BK Häcken in the opening match in the 2023/24 Europa League campaign. A day before his nineteenth birthday, the central defender did not play in the 4-0 win for the Werkself but it was "an incredible night" for him on 21 September 2023 as he explained in his first interview on bayer04.de. "I watched the players and saw the fans. I liked it." It was also the first European night early on in his career. He only joined the then champions of Sweden in the cold north of Europe from his home in Senegal a few weeks before that special moment. Bayer04.de profiles our new defender.
Show moreWelcome, Abdoulaye Faye. The 20-year-old Senegalese central defender joins Leverkusen from top-flight Swedish club BK Häcken. In his first interview he talks about his move to Bayer 04 and his targets with the Werkself.
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