Bayer Leverkusen's 10 biggest sales of all time

Cameron Smith

• 15 Mar 2026 05:23 CDT
• 5 min read

News

Bayer Leverkusen are one of the biggest clubs in Germany and they ended their long wait for a Bundesliga title with a historic campaign in 2024.

Xabi Alonso’s side went unbeaten throughout the entire season to claim a Bundesliga title that will be remembered for decades, but the majority of that squad has now departed.

Below, FootballTransfers lists Bayer Leverkusen's 10 biggest sales ever.

10. Andre Schurrle - €22m (to Chelsea, 2013)

Andre Schurrle only spent two seasons at Bayer Leverkusen before being poached by Premier League giants Chelsea in 2013.

However, the German winger never managed to establish himself as a regular starter at Stamford Bridge and, despite a promising first season, his game time soon diminished and he left in February 2015.

Schurrle then spent time at Wolfsburg, Borussia Dortmund, Fulham and Spartak Moscow before retiring in 2020, at the age of just 30.

9. Hakan Calhanoglu - €23.3m (to AC Milan, 2017)

After a brilliant debut campaign at Hamburg, Bayer Leverkusen spent over €15m to sign Hakan Calhanoglu in 2014.

The Turkish midfielder enjoyed a productive three-year stint at the BayArena before opting to join AC Milan amid interest from a host of top European clubs.

Calhanoglu never really hit his best form at Milan, however, and he made the controversial decision to join arch-rivals Inter on a free transfer in 2021.

Current ETV

Hakan Çalhanoğlu

DM, M (C)

Inter

Hakan Çalhanoğlu

DM, M (C)

Inter

€14.4M

ETV Range

€12.9M - €15.8M

View full profile

8. Julian Brandt - €25m (to Borussia Dortmund, 2019)

Julian Brandt joined Leverkusen from Wolfsburg’s academy in January 2014 and he became a first-team regular almost immediately, despite never making a senior appearance for Wolfsburg.

After five-and-a-half years, 215 games and 94 goal contributions, Brandt left Bayer Leverkusen to join Borussia Dortmund for €25m in 2019.

At Dortmund, he has been a consistently impressive performer and he helped the club reach the Champions League final in 2023.

7. Bernd Leno - €25m (to Arsenal, 2015)

Bernd Leno racked up 304 appearances for Bayer Leverkusen and his consistent level of form attracted the interest of Arsenal in 2015.

The Gunners spent €25m to sign the German shot-stopper and he enjoyed three seasons as Arsenal’s number one goalkeeper.

However, he was demoted upon Aaron Ramsdale’s arrival in 2021 and Leno was sold to Fulham the following year.

6. Heung-min Son - €30m (to Tottenham, 2015)

Heung-min Son enjoyed an eye-catching final season at Hamburg and his performances convinced Leverkusen to spend €12.5m to sign him in 2013.

The South Korea legend developed nicely during his time at Leverkusen and after 40 goal contributions in 87 games for the club, he joined Tottenham for €30m in 2015.

Son became an icon in north London, registering over 450 appearances and 173 goals for Spurs, before departing for LAFC in 2025.

5. Leon Bailey - €32m (to Aston Villa, 2021)

Leon Bailey was heavily linked with a move to Chelsea in both 2019 and 2020, while Manchester United and Liverpool were also interested in signing the Jamaican winger.

However, Aston Villa won the race for his signature in 2021, with Bailey leaving Leverkusen with 156 appearances and 39 goals to his name.

Leverkusen doubled their money on the Jamaica star, having signed from from Genk for €16.7m in 2017.

4. Jeremie Frimpong - €40m (to Liverpool, 2025)

Jeremie Frimpong became Leverkusen's fourth-biggest sale in history when he completed a €40m move to Liverpool in 2025.

The Netherlands star was an integral member of Leverkusen's title-winning team under Xabi Alonso and he ended his career at the club with over 70 goal contributions in 190 appearances.

Having arrived from Celtic for just €11m in 2021, Frimpong undoubtedly goes down as one of Leverkusen's best signings in recent memory.

3. Moussa Diaby - €55m (to Aston Villa, 2023)

Moussa Diaby followed in Bailey’s footsteps two years later, with the Frenchman also joining Aston Villa in a big-money move.

Diaby spent four years at Leverkusen, registering 97 goal contributions in 172 games, and he became Villa’s record signing upon his arrival.

However, he spent just one season at Villa Park before moving to Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia.

2. Kai Havertz - €100m (to Chelsea, 2020)

Kai Havertz was the golden boy of Bayer Leverkusen’s academy, and he became the club’s youngest ever Bundesliga debutant in 2016 and their youngest ever Bundesliga goalscorer the following year.

Havertz’s stature continued to grow at a staggering rate and after notching 27 goals and assists during the 2018/19 season, he finished third in the Golden Boy award.

Amid competition from Real Madrid, Chelsea pounced and the Blues spent an initial €80m to sign Havertz in 2020, which soon rose to €100m.

He scored the winning goal in the Champions League final during his debut campaign at Stamford Bridge, but he never quite displayed his true potential and Havertz was sold to Arsenal in 2023.

1. Florian Wirtz - €125m (to Liverpool, 2025)

Florian Wirtz established himself as one of the world's most exciting talents at Leverkusen and played a crucial role in the Werkself winning the domestic double in 2023-24.

He followed that up with another elite campaign in 2024-25, after which many assumed he would be on his way to Bayern Munich. However, Wirtz surprised everybody when he gave the nod to reigning Premier League champions Liverpool.

After lengthy talks with Leverkusen, the Reds agreed to shell out a club-record €125m fee, with bonuses potentially taking the deal up to €136.3m.

The 10 biggest Bayer Leverkusen sales of all time

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