Bayer Leverkusen head into the final stretch of pre-season with their transfer business unresolved and a squad shaped by an unexpected injury blow. The most pressing storyline centres on Moussa Diaby, whose potential return to the BayArena has stalled. Leverkusen held advanced negotiations over a 30 million euro deal to bring the French winger back after his four-year absence, but Inter Milan have now entered the race with a second offer to Al-Ittihad, complicating what had looked like a near-certain reunion. Diaby scored 49 goals and contributed 47 assists across 172 games for the club between 2019 and 2023, and his return would have given new head coach Carles Martínez Novell a proven wide option to complement summer signing Afonso Moreira.

Compounding the squad uncertainty is the serious health situation surrounding 17-year-old midfielder Kennet Eichhorn, who was hospitalised after a metabolic disorder caused him to lose five kilograms in five days. With no return date set and Eichhorn removed from first-half-of-season planning entirely, Leverkusen have revised their midfield strategy. Only one of Equi Fernandez, Aleix Garcia, or Robert Andrich is now expected to leave rather than the two originally planned.

Andrich himself has publicly committed to staying and expressed his desire to force his way back into the Germany squad under new national team coach Jürgen Klopp. Malik Tillman, meanwhile, has been candid about a difficult debut season under former coach Kasper Hjulmand, though he insists he wants to prove himself under Martínez. On the pitch, Leverkusen lost 2-1 to Nottingham Forest in midweek and face Newcastle United on August 15 as they close out their England tour before the competitive season begins.