Bayer Leverkusen will look very different next season. After falling short of defending their Bundesliga title, Die Werkself made the tough decision to let head coach Xabi Alonso go to Real Madrid and replaced him with former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag.
Erik ten Hag plays a different style of football than his predecessor, so Bayer Leverkusen are in for a rebuild this summer to fit the Dutchman’s tactics. Despite this, the early Bundesliga 2025 odds predict Die Werkself to be in the Top 4 mix next term because of ten Hag’s uncanny ability to win trophies.
Elsewhere, Bayern Munich will lose one of their tenured players to free agency while Borussia Dortmund have been pretty active in the transfer market after finishing fourth in the German top-flight standings this year with 57 points.
Clubs have already put in the work ahead of the summer transfer window, and SBOTOP is here to bring you the latest Bundesliga 2025 updates.
Erik ten Hag to oversee Bayer Leverkusen rebuild
After months of speculation, Erik ten Hag has been officially named the next Bayer Leverkusen head coach starting this July. Before this, he was offered the Borussia Dortmund job but turned it down due to the timing because he didn’t want to take the job in the middle of the season.
Now at the helm, ten Hag has overseen several ins and outs in the roster. Jonathan Tah has gone to Bayern Munich on a free transfer and Die Werkself recently sold Jeremie Frimpong and Florian Wirtz to Liverpool for almost €200 million. That amount of money could help their rebuilding efforts, provided they manage their funds well.
In return, they signed Mark Flekken from Brentford to bolster their goalkeeping depth. They also recruited Ibrahim Maza, Tim Oermann, Artem Stepanov, and Francis Onyeka. Meanwhile, Bayer Leverkusen are considering selling Victor Boniface for at least €50 million after an up-and-down 2024-25 campaign.
Erik ten Hag will still have Patrik Schick, Granit Xhaka, Alex Grimaldo, Piero Hincapie, Jonas Hofmann, Robert Andrich, and Exequiel Palacios. However, the team will need a few more reinforcements at the back and up front.
Sane will leave Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich will likely lose Leroy Sane to free agency this summer after five years of service. Die Bayern wanted Sane to stay because they offered him an extension, but the 29-year-old winger seems set on finding a new challenge.
Sane joined Bayern Munich from Manchester City in 2020 for a reported transfer fee of €49 million and has recorded 61 goals and 55 assists in 220 appearances. The German international is being courted by Galatasaray, and transfer guru Fabrizio Romano is optimistic that Sane could eventually go there.
As mentioned, Bayern Munich added center-back Jonathan Tah, which means that the club could put up Kim Min-Jae for sale alongside Kingsley Coman. Bayern Munich also added Tom Bischof while letting go of Thomas Muller, Eric Dier, and Gabriel Vidovic.
Bayern Munich are far from done in the summer transfer window because they don’t plan to rest on their laurels. Local reports indicate that Vincent Kompany’s side is keen on signing Bradley Barcola from PSG or Nico Williams from Athletic Bilbao. The club is also monitoring the situation of Gianluigi Donnarumma, who is reportedly “unsettled” at PSG because Manuel Neuer is not getting any younger.
Borussia Dortmund have a new Bellingham
Jobe Bellingham will follow in his older brother’s footsteps, as he signed with Borussia Dortmund on a five-year contract. The 19-year-old midfielder is huge reason why Sunderland are back in the Premier League, registering 11 goals and four assists across all competitions in 2024-25. BVB fans will see Bellingham in black and yellow in the upcoming Club World Cup.
Borussia Dortmund have also received offers for Jamie Gittens, particularly from Chelsea. However, BVB aren’t satisfied with the Blues’ offer, so Gittens will likely stay in the meantime. Meanwhile, they have been linked with a sensational reunion with Jadon Sancho, who just finished his loan stint at Stamford Bridge.
After getting their box-to-box midfielder target in Bellingham, Borussia Dortmund are now on the hunt for a No. 10, a backup striker (if they sell Gittens), and a center-back who could play on the left side. The Yellow Wall wanted Rayan Cherki to fill the attacking midfielder need, but the Frenchman just signed with Manchester City.
BVB also reiterated that they won’t sell Gregor Kobel, despite receiving some tempting offers. The 27-year-old Swiss international has nailed down the starting goalkeeper spot at Signal Iduna Park, making 115 appearances across all competitions since joining from VfB Stuttgart in 2021.
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