Emre Can has opted for a move to Bayer 04 Leverkusen to further his career after four years on Bayern's books
Emre Can has opted for a move to Bayer 04 Leverkusen to further his career after four years on Bayern's books

Can swaps Bayern for Bayer

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Leverkusen/Munich - Bayer 04 Leverkusen have completed the signing of Germany under-21 international Emre Can from Bundesliga rivals FC Bayern Munich.

Raw talent

The 19-year-old, who broke into the Bayern first team under Jupp Heynckes last season, has penned a four-year contract with Leverkusen, though Bayern have included an option to re-sign the player as part of the deal.

“Emre Can is one of the most talented German midfielders and we're absolutely convinced that he will make a decisive contribution in helping us in the coming years,” said Leverkusen’s CEO Wolfgang Holzhäuser.

That view is shared by Bayern’s chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, who did not want to stand in the way of the player’s progress. “Emre Can is one of the biggest talents in German football,” he said. “We wanted to allow him to make this step so that he gets sufficient match practice, like for example Toni Kroos did in Leverkusen, Philipp Lahm at VfB Stuttgart or even David Alaba in Hoffenheim.”

Highly ambitious


Bayer’s director of sport Rudi Völler added: “Emre Can is a very versatile player with great potential which he is certainly going to deliver more on with us.” The midfielder is looking forward to the new challenge at a club where he is likely to gain more match practice than at Bayern.

“Bayer 04 Leverkusen are one of the top teams in the Bundesliga and they are also playing in the Champions League,” he said. “I would like to do my bit to ensure we are successful in all competitions in the coming campaigns.”