Bayer Leverkusen sign Ivory Coast defender Odilon Kossounou

Bayer Leverkusen have announced the signing of Ivory Coast defender Odilon Kossounou from Club Brugge.

The 20-year-old has put pen to paper on a five-year deal through to 30 June 2026. He will wear the No.6 shirt vacated by Aleksandar Dragovic, the Austrian having left the BayArena for Red Star Belgrade.

"I'm happy the move to Leverkusen has gone through," Kossounou told the club's official website. "The two years in Belgium were magnificent, even more so with the two league title wins, but the German Bundesliga is something else.

"At Leverkusen, I want to prove I can be a top player at this level and help the team."

As well as back-to-back Jupiler League titles, Kossounou got his hands on the Belgium Supercup in his time at Brugge. He made 55 appearances all told, including 42 last season, having joined the club in summer 2019 from Swedish outfit Hammarby. The athletic centre-back has since won six senior international caps for the Ivory Coast.

"Odilon Kossounou has made rapid development as a very young player in Belgium over the past two years," said Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes.

"He's really quick, agile, strong in the challenge, technically good and still hasn't realised his full potential. He has everything needed to play an important role in our team."