"Maja has developed into a key player and an international at Bremen," explained Achim Feifel, sporting director of Bayer 04 Women. "She'll make us even more variable in attack and will give us a different profile in our attacking play with her dynamism and deep runs. She's also aggressive without the ball and a hardworking team player. We're looking forward to her arrival."
Born in Germany of Slovenian descent, Sternad moved to Bremen in 2021 from second-tier club DSC Arminia Bielefeld. She's scored 13 goals in 107 appearances in all competitions for Werder, including three in 23 games in the current campaign along with five assists. Having represented Germany at U15, U19 and U20 level, she switched allegiance to Slovenia, her father's homeland. She's won 10 caps for the senior team to date, registering one goal.
"The talks with Bayer 04 went very well and I immediately had a good gut feeling, so I didn't have to think long about making this move," said Sternad. "I'm very happy with the decision and I'm sure that we'll have a very good new season together, hopefully crowned with qualification for the Champions League."
Kicking off the new season with a fresh look: Bayer 04, in collaboration with sportswear manufacturer New Balance, has unveiled the official kit for Leverkusen’s e-Sports players for the coming season. The jersey is now available from the Bayer 04 online shop and the Fanwelt.
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Paulo Sergio and Bayer 04 have enjoyed close ties since the Werkself training camp in his native Brazil last summer. The club legend is in charge of the Bayer 04 Soccer Academy, which opened in the summer of 2025, and he has also been at this year’s training camp in the Weimarer Land. As well as interacting with the many fans who travelled to the camp, the 1994 World Cup winner used the time to plan the next steps for the Academy together with club officials. In an interview with bayer04.de, Sergio spoke about the project’s future development, the upcoming visit by young Academy players to Leverkusen, and plans for the coming months in Germany and Brazil.
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A round-up of the Werkself training camp in the Weimarer Land, all in one place: in our daily blog you’ll find all the insights and updates from the day. Day five (Thursday 6 August) is as follows: The squad have the final open session of the training camp in the morning. After lunch, there will be a team event.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have signed Spanish left-back Miguel Gutiérrez from Napoli. The 25-year-old has signed a contract with the club to 30 June 2031. Gutiérrez came through the youth ranks at Real Madrid; he moved to Italy a year ago from Girona, and he played a key role for Napoli with 36 appearances. The big Italian club finished last season as runners-up in Serie A.
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