Jonathan Tah also returned on Monday. The 21-year-old, who missed the U21 European Championships due to a groin injury, ended his holidays on Monday. Jonathan started with medical tests before moving on to exercises in the gym. It remains to be seen when the central defender will rejoin his team-mates. Admir Mehmedi and Lars Bender also trained on their own on Monday on their way back from muscle problems.
Sven Bender faces the press
It was the second session with the squad for Lars' twin brother Sven. The new signing from Borussia Dortmund was again on the pitch as he was on Saturday. Before that he faced the press. The 28-year-old again commented on his move: "It was important to me to get back on the pitch. I saw the opportunities being better at Bayer 04 than at BVB." Since his first discussions with the club management, he felt "he was wanted here." He went on to explain: "With my experience and the way I play I can definitely help the club. I want to lead the team. And I'm confident I can do that."
He was also happy to be reunited with his brother who he used to play alongside at TSV 1860 Munich in 2009: "Of course, I'm looking forward to playing with him again. I can't say how that will turn out. We've played too many years at different clubs to predict that."
Friendly in Bonn on Wednesday
The defender, born in Rosenheim, is looking to help the Werkself get back to winning ways. His first impressions of head coach Heiko Herrlich and the team were very positive. "We’ll come together as a team in the pre-season," said our new number five full of conviction. It is possible that Sven might make his debut in a Bayer 04 shirt on Wednesday. The Werkself play the third pre-season friendly away to Regional League side Bonner SC (18.30 CET, Sportpark Nord).
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended Abdoulaye Faye’s contract by a further year to 30 June 2031. During the 2026/27 season, the talented defender will play for Celta Vigo on loan without an option to buy. The 21-year-old Senegalese is set to feature in La Liga and the UEFA Europa League with last season’s sixth-placed side in Spain.
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The Werkself's training camp in Weimarer Land all in one place: in our daily blog you'll find all the insights and updates from the day. The programme on day one (Sunday 2 August) includes a media round with managing director sport Simon Rolfes, free time for the team after the friendly against Rot-Weiss Essen and before an intensive week of training begins, as well as a coffee get-together where CEO Fernando Carro and Rolfes met around 100 fans in the afternoon.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have agreed Kerim Alajbegovic’s transfer to Italian record champions Juventus. The club brought the 18-year-old attacking player back to Leverkusen this summer via a buy-back option, following a season at Red Bull Salzburg. Until his move to Austria, the Bosnia international had been playing for Bayer 04’s Under-19s.
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A warm welcome to the Weimarer Land, Bayer 04! The Werkself moved into their accommodation for this year’s training camp on Saturday evening. In Blankenhain, Thuringia, head coach Carles Martínez’s team have a programme of gruelling training sessions – several of which will be open to fans – and team-building activities lined up for the next six days. We’ll be following the Werkself up close and providing you with exclusive insights, quotes, photos and videos from the training camp.
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With 22 days to go until the start of the Bundesliga campaign, the Bayer 04 Women’s team have gained a fresh boost of confidence. In a friendly against Belgian top-flight side KRC Genk on Saturday afternoon, coach Roberto Pätzold’s team secured a 1–0 win. Lobke Loonen (20’) scored the winner for the Black and Reds at the Kurtekotten training centre.
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