The summer break for the Bayer 04 players lasts another three weeks and then Gerardo Seoane will hold the first training session at Bismarckstraße. Performance diagnostic checks will be carried out on 5 July with the first full training session led by the Swiss coach following the next day. The first pre-season friendly against third division SV Wehen Wiesbaden is on 14 July. Kick-off is at 17.00 CEST; the match will be played at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium (UHS) or at the Kurtekotten Performance Centre.
And now Bayer 04 can also announce two other friendly opponents. As part of the training camp in Zell am See/Kaprun (16 to 23 July), the Seoane team will play Dynamo Moscow on 18 July. The kick-off at the Alois Latini Stadium in Zell am See is at 15.00 CEST. While the Werkself have played competitive matches against the other three top clubs from Moscow (Lokomotiv, Spartak and CSKA), there are no records of a competitive game against Dynamo in the black and red statistics.
In contrast, there is a reunion with FC Utrecht on 28 July. In January 2020, the Black and Reds played the team that finished sixth in the Dutch Eredivisie last term during the winter break – that friendly ended in a 4-3 victory for the visitors from the Netherlands. The fixture at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium at the BayArena kicks off at 16.00 CEST.
Dynamo Moscow profile:
The team from the Russian capital almost qualified for Europe last season. The former club of the Germany international Kevin Kuranyi 'only' finished seventh in the Premier Liga but the team under coach Sandra Schwarz (formerly of Mainz 05) were only six points away from third place and qualification for the Europa League. In addition to the head coach, the Dynamo squad also has other familiar faces from Germany's top flight: Roman Neustädter (Schalke 04) plus Maximilian Philipp, who spent most of the last campaign on loan at VfL Wolfsburg.
A look at the statistics shows that two new signings in particular made an impression at Dynamo. The Russians Daniil Fomin and Daniil Lesovoy, signed by the capital club from league rivals FK Ufa and Arsenal Tula, have shone with involvement in number of goals for the Moscow attack. While Fomin clocked up six goals and three assists, Lesovoy contributed five goals and five assists in his first season for Dynamo.
FC Utrecht profile:
Since the founding of the club in 1970 following the merger of three sides, FC Utrecht have continually been part of the top-flight in the Netherlands. Since a mixed season in 2014/15, which ended with eleventh place in the Eredivisie, the team from the city with a population of 360,000 in the heart of the Netherlands has always finished in the top third of the table since then. Last term, the team under head coach René Hake finished in sixth place. An enormous share in that achievement was down to the attack with Sander van de Streek, Gyrano Kerk and Mimoun Mahi. The attacking trio notched up 26 goals – half of the Utrecht total of 52 in the Eredivisie season – plus 13 assists.
In addition to the stalwarts van de Streek and Kerk, head coach Hake relies on a mixed squad from a demographic perspective. From players returning to the Netherlands such as Eljero Elia (34), who played up front for Hamburg and Bremen during his career, through to the 21-year-old Moussa Sylla – who arrived from AS Monaco last season – all age groups are represented in the FCU squad.
25 June
Publication of Bundesliga fixture list
4 July
Draw for the first round proper of the DFB Cup
5 July
Pre-season starts with performance diagnostics at the BayArena
6 July
First full training session at the pitches at the BayArena
14 July
Bayer 04 v SV Wehen Wiesbaden, Kurtekotten or UHS (Kick-off: 17.00 CEST)
16-23 July
Training camp in Zell am See/Kaprun including two friendlies
18 July
Bayer 04 v Dynamo Moscow, Alois Latini Stadium in Zell am See (Kick-off: 15.00 CEST)
28 July
Bayer 04 v FC Utrecht, UHS (Kick-off: 16.00 CEST)
31 July
Friendly – Opponent and venue: tbc
6-9 August
First round proper of the DFB Cup
13-15 August
Bundesliga matchday 1
27 August
Draw for the Europa League group stage
16 September
Matchday 1 in the Europa League
Midfielder Ruby Grant is leaving Bayer 04 Leverkusen and joining Portuguese runners-up Sporting CP a year before her contract expires. The 24-year-old has been at the Werkself since January 2025.
Show more
Bayer 04 have loaned Brazilian full-back Arthur to Bundesliga side Werder Bremen for one year. Arthur Augusto de Matos Soares – the full name of the right-back – has a contract with Leverkusen until 30 June 2031. At Werder, the 23-year-old is expected to make an impact and help the long-established club further consolidate their position in the Bundesliga.
Show more
Bayer 04 have loaned defender Jeanuel Belocian to Spanish top-flight side Racing Santander. The 21-year-old defender joins the team currently ninth in La Liga until the end of the current 2026/27 season. Belocian’s contract remains valid until 30 June 2029. Last season, the 1.86-metre-tall U21 international was loaned to VfL Wolfsburg for six months.
Show more
He knows the dressing room, the pitch and the club. But, above all, he knows the feeling of playing for the Werkself at the BayArena: Moussa Diaby is back in Leverkusen after three years. The lightning-fast winger has signed a contract with Bayer 04 until 2031 and he will once again wear the number 19 jersey. The left-footed player previously played for the club from 2019 to 2023, having arrived in the Rhineland from his native France as a promising young talent and eventually leaving the club – having established himself as one of the Bundesliga’s best attackers – to join Aston Villa in the Premier League. Now he has returned to Bayer 04 from Al-Ittihad FC in Saudi Arabia.
Show more
