Release clause: Elisa Senß set to join Eintracht Frankfurt

The 26-year-old joined Leverkusen from league rivals SGS Essen in the summer of 2022. She has made 41 appearances under the Bayer Cross and scored one goal. Senß became captain of the Werkself shortly after she signed for the club and this season has made her debut for Germany. The Germany coach Horst Hrubesch called up the Oldenburg-born player to the squad last December and she made her first appearance in Rostock on 1 December in the 3-0 win against Denmark in the UEFA Women’s Nations League. At the end of February, she qualified with Germany for the Olympic Games in Paris.

"Of course, Elisa's departure is a pity from our point of view but that has come through her success. If we develop a player successfully then it's normal that they will move on to another club at some point," said Thomas Eichin, director of professional teams whose responsibilities include the Women’s teams at Bayer 04. He recalled the departures of Jill Baijings and Lisanne Gräwe last season and added: "Transfers like that are all part of it. We will stick to our approach and focus on training and development in the future. We look forward to Elisa continuing to follow a successful path. Other young players will be able to take more responsibility next season and grow into this role."

Achim Feifel, sporting director of the Bayer 04 Women's team, said: "Elisa has always worked flat out for the club and the team as captain and now sees her next step in Frankfurt. We wish her all the best." The 59-year-old added: “She came to us with a high performance level from Essen. She has come to the attention of the DFB over the past two years, also due to the overall development of the team, and has stepped up to the national side."

Senß: "incredibly great time"

"I had an incredibly great time in Leverkusen full of positive experiences. I've always felt at home here and I am grateful to the club, teammates and staff for being able to develop so well here," said Senß: “A lot of confidence was shown in me from the start as captain and I was able to express myself in that role. The move to Frankfurt offers me a new challenge and the chance to continue to develop." Until then she will continue to focus on the remaining games with Bayer 04. "We will focus 100% on the league after the exit from the Pokal. We said we wanted to finish in the top five at the start of the season. That remains our aim," said Senß.