Fernando Carro, Bayer 04 CEO, plus head coach Gerardo Seoane and captain Lukas Hradecky first listened to friendly words from the hosts on the third deck of the MS Schmitten: Yvonne Rosenstatter (Area director in marketing management at SalzburgerLand) and Renate Ecker (Director of tourism, Zell am See-Kaprun) were proud of another visit from the Champions League participants.
"Salzburger Land provides outstanding conditions for different sports – including football," said Rosenstatter. "We are therefore very proud of the active and familiar partnership with Bayer 04 that is already ten years old." Ecker also highlighted the "solid partnership, with the Werkself and spoke about "meeting up as friends."
"It's clear that it's really great to be here under these circumstances," added Fernando Carro against the mountain backdrop around Zeller See. "The coaching staff know the local area and facilities well from last year. That was a big advantage in our advanced planning."
And head coach Gerardo Seoane also looked very impressed with the facilities. The Swiss coach not only praised the training set-up at the Alois Latini Stadium and the accommodation – the Hotel Tauern Spa – but also the wide range of options in the area. The Werkself have taken part in a bike tour, played beach volleyball, tried out stand-up paddle boarding on Zeller See. And the culinary delights of Austrian cuisine were discovered with an evening meal at a restaurant in Zell am See-Kaprun. "This training camp gives us the opportunity to get to know each other as a group in a completely different way," said Seoane. "That strengthens team spirit in the long run."
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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