The two-time winner of the Copa America, who is currently working on his comeback from injury took time out after rehab on Thursday afternoon to meet the 100 plus children present on the training ground. The inquisitive youngsters posed a host of questions to Palacios at the start. The Argentinian revealed that his best friend in the team is Piero Hincapie. In addition, 25-year-old shared exciting insights into what it feels like playing alongside Lionel Messi: "As a child I always watched him play on television. He was an idol of mine back then," said Palacios about his international teammate and added: "Playing alongside him now is something I could never have dreamt of."
After all the questions, every request for an autograph was met: Palacios took time out for each child to sign boots or jerseys as well as posing for one or two selfies. The session ended with a communal group photo that included the coaches and support staff. At the end of the visit, Palacios made a young fan particularly happy by presenting him with his new training top – a fitting end to a successful day of training at the football school.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended Abdoulaye Faye’s contract by a further year to 30 June 2031. During the 2026/27 season, the talented defender will play for Celta Vigo on loan without an option to buy. The 21-year-old Senegalese is set to feature in La Liga and the UEFA Europa League with last season’s sixth-placed side in Spain.
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The Werkself's training camp in Weimarer Land all in one place: in our daily blog you'll find all the insights and updates from the day. The programme on day one (Sunday 2 August) includes a media round with managing director sport Simon Rolfes, free time for the team after the friendly against Rot-Weiss Essen and before an intensive week of training begins, as well as a coffee get-together where CEO Fernando Carro and Rolfes met around 100 fans in the afternoon.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have agreed Kerim Alajbegovic’s transfer to Italian record champions Juventus. The club brought the 18-year-old attacking player back to Leverkusen this summer via a buy-back option, following a season at Red Bull Salzburg. Until his move to Austria, the Bosnia international had been playing for Bayer 04’s Under-19s.
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A warm welcome to the Weimarer Land, Bayer 04! The Werkself moved into their accommodation for this year’s training camp on Saturday evening. In Blankenhain, Thuringia, head coach Carles Martínez’s team have a programme of gruelling training sessions – several of which will be open to fans – and team-building activities lined up for the next six days. We’ll be following the Werkself up close and providing you with exclusive insights, quotes, photos and videos from the training camp.
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With 22 days to go until the start of the Bundesliga campaign, the Bayer 04 Women’s team have gained a fresh boost of confidence. In a friendly against Belgian top-flight side KRC Genk on Saturday afternoon, coach Roberto Pätzold’s team secured a 1–0 win. Lobke Loonen (20’) scored the winner for the Black and Reds at the Kurtekotten training centre.
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