Bayer Leverkusen beat European rivals to sign teenage sensation Kennet Eichhorn
Bayer Leverkusen have won the race to sign one of Germany's brightest young talents, confirming the arrival of midfielder Kennet Eichhorn from Hertha Berlin on a long-term contract.
The 16-year-old joins the Bundesliga club after attracting significant interest from across Europe, with reports linking Liverpool, Manchester City and RB Leipzig to the highly-rated teenager before Leverkusen secured his signature.
Eichhorn's move follows a breakthrough season with Hertha in Bundesliga 2, where he became the youngest player ever to start a match in the division. The defensive midfielder went on to make 17 senior appearances during the 2025/26 campaign and scored his first professional goal in a 2-1 victory over Greuther Fürth in May.
Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes revealed the club had been tracking Eichhorn for some time and praised the youngster's potential.
"We are very happy we were able to convince Kennet Eichhorn of our approach. We were already in close contact with Kennet and his family a year ago, and even back then we formed a good bond," said Rolfes.
"That was also always evident in this year's talks. Kennet shares our view that Bayer 04 offers the best conditions for him to develop into an absolute top player in the Bundesliga. The talks with our head coach Carles Martínez were also characterised by great agreement on footballing issues and mutual trust. With Kennet, we now have one of the best German talents in our ranks."
According to reports in Germany, Leverkusen activated a release clause worth between 8 million euros and 9 million euros to complete the transfer, with Eichhorn committing his future to the club until 2031.
The Berlin-born midfielder said Leverkusen's reputation for developing young players played a decisive role in his decision.
"After really very good talks, I decided on what I consider to be the best solution: Leverkusen is a club that has quickly developed many players, even very young ones, into top professionals," said Eichhorn, who will wear the No. 18 shirt.
"I will do everything I can to follow a similar path here. I'm really looking forward to taking my next steps at such an exciting, top European club like Bayer 04."
Eichhorn arrives with growing expectations after his rapid rise through Hertha's academy and will now look to continue his development with the 2023/24 Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal double winners.
