Bayer Leverkusen are navigating a turbulent start to the pre-season, with injury concerns, unsettled players, and transfer activity all shaping the picture ahead of the new Bundesliga campaign.

The most pressing concern is the health of 17-year-old midfielder Kennet Eichhorn, who has been hospitalised with a metabolic disorder after losing five kilograms in five days following a gastrointestinal illness. Sport Bild reports that no return date has been set and Leverkusen have removed him entirely from first-half-of-season planning. That decision has already changed the club's transfer approach: rather than selling two central midfielders as originally planned, only one is now expected to leave. Equi Fernandez, Aleix Garcia, and Robert Andrich are the candidates, with Fernandez the most likely to go at around 20 million euros.

Off the pitch, Malik Tillman has added to the sense of unease. The US international, signed for 35 million euros, publicly criticised his relationship with former coach Kasper Hjulmand and said the club did not always back him fully. His interview with the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger stopped short of committing to a future at Leverkusen, with Tillman saying he wants to assess new head coach Carles Martinez before deciding whether to stay.

On a more positive note, teenage midfielder Kerim Alajbegovic looks set to leave for a record fee. Reports indicate Juventus have agreed a deal worth up to 40 million euros for the 18-year-old, who never played a competitive minute for Leverkusen's first team. A potential return for Moussa Diaby on a 30 million euro deal, reported by Bild, could offset that departure as Martinez builds his squad.