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.
The Werkself continue their 2026/27 pre-season preparations with their third friendly against Belgian top-flight side KRC Genk at the Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion on Wednesday 29 July (kick-off 15:00 CEST). Werkself-TV is broadcasting the match live and in full in a stream from 14:50 CEST...
Bayer 04 are back on the pitch. Following the first training sessions, the Werkself play the first pre-season friendly on Saturday, July 18. The match against Oberliga club Sportfreunde Baumberg kicks off at 15:30 CEST in Monheim am Rhein. Fans unable to attend the match can watch head coach Carles Martínez’s first game in charge for free via a livestream at bayer04.de and on the Bayer 04 app, as well as on Werkself.tv (exclusively for members). Just log on and watch the games live. All the other Werkself preseason friendlies leading up to the 2026/27 season will also be streamed live for free.
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Bayer 04 is redesigning the public catering at the BayArena and Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion for the start of the 2026/27 season. Together with new catering partner Aramark, processes will be developed and the service at the stadium will be improved in a targeted way.
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The German Football Association (DFB) has officially recognised Bayer 04 as a centre for the development of female talent for the 2026/27 season. The club was awarded that role on 1 January 2026, and this status has now been renewed.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have sold young defender Andrea Natali to AZ Alkmaar on permanent terms. The 18-year-old Italian was on loan at the Dutch club last season, where he mainly played for the reserve team in the second division.
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