Bayer 04 have extended the contract with Yannik Schlößer by two years to 30 June 2023. The 19-year-old striker, who has played for several Werkself youth teams, joins FC Nürnberg on a 12-month loan deal with immediate effect. "Yannik is a very talented striker," said Bayer 04 sporting director Simon Rolfes. "We believe FC Nürnberg will give him the ideal opportunity to take the next step in his development as a football player."
A majority of the Werkself squad, plus additional players from the youth section, returned to the training ground this week and are now working flat-out for the new season. The new head coach Gerardo Seoane has held a training session every morning followed by further sessions in the gym at the BayArena in the afternoon.
Karim Bellarabi, Jonathan Tah and Co. completed an intensive set of drills on Friday morning all of which ended with shots at the goals minded by Lennart Grill, Niklas Lomb and U19 keeper Maximilian Neutgens. The high tempo and the varying workloads at the different stops saw the Werkself players work up a sweat. To finish off, there was a match on a small-scale pitch involving lots of tackles and quick decision making.
The summer internationals are in full swing. While the Werkself players at Euro 2020 (Lukas Hradecky, Joel Pohjanpalo, Julian Baumgartlinger and Patrik Schick) are now enjoying a well-deserved holiday, several of their Leverkusen teammates are still on international duty. A round-up:
Günter Drews completed his final steps in the youth section under the Bayer Cross in the middle of the 1980s. Signed from BFC Preussen, in his home town of Berlin, the midfielder made his breakthrough to professional football at Leverkusen. Drews made 46 Bundesliga appearances between 1985 and 1987. He went on to play in the top-flight for Hannover 96 and FC Nürnberg. The former player celebrates his 54th birthday today (Friday). Many happy returns, Günter.
Still playing at a young age is Chinedu Ekene. The centre-forward progressed through all the youth teams at Bayer 04 before moving onto the TSG Hoffenheim second team in 2018. The 22-year-old, celebrating his birthday today, joined third division MSV Duisburg in the summer. We wish you all the best, Chinedu.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended the contract with U19 midfielder Jonah Berghoff ahead of schedule. The Germany U18 international has signed professional terms with the club to 30 June 2030.
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With sixth place at the end of the 2025/26 Bundesliga campaign, Bayer 04 ended a season in the top third of the table for the ninth time in a row. While the Werkself were narrowly eliminated in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 by eventual finalists Arsenal, the Black and Reds reached the semi-finals of the DFB Pokal for the third season in succession. As in previous years, you once again have the opportunity to vote for your Player of the Season. Voting is exclusively for Bayer 04 Club members and only via the Bayer 04 app up to and including 11 June.
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With 46 points in the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga, the Bayer 04 Women’s team once again broke the previous season's club record and ended up in fifth place - 15 wins is also a record. As in previous years, you now have the opportunity to vote for your Player of the Season. Voting is open exclusively to Bayer 04 Club members and only via the Bayer 04 app by 11 June.
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The guests at the Scala Club in Leverkusen were amazed when host Reiner Calmund suddenly brought the Managing Director of Sport at Bayer 04, Simon Rolfes, and record Werkself appearance maker Rüdiger Vollborn onto the stage. As part of the show "An Evening with Football & Friends", organised by long-serving Bayer 04 managing director and general manager Calmund, the two surprise guests drew plenty of applause - and provided great entertainment in exciting conversations about the past and future.
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