[Archive 2018-06-20] Football: Arsenal sign Bayer Leverkusen goalkeeper Bernd Leno

Historical archive — originally published 2018-06-20. This report records what was known on that date. It is not current news; subsequent events may have changed the situation. Wikinews closed in May 2026.

Yesterday, German football club Bayer 04 Leverkusen announced the transfer of their goalkeeper Bernd Leno to London club Arsenal FC. According to Leverkusen, Leno has signed a "long-term deal" ((de))German language: ‍langfristigen Vertrag with Arsenal.

The 26-year-old goalkeeper spent seven seasons with Bayer, featuring in 230 German Bundesliga matches. Leno joined Bayer in 2011 at the age of nineteen and became the club's first choice keeper. Before joining Leverkusen, Leno spent his early career at VfB Stuttgart. In September 2011, Leno became the youngest goalkeeper to feature in a UEFA Champions League match, against Chelsea.

Leno has played in six international matches for Germany, making his international debut in 2016. Leno was in the national team which won the FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia last year. Though Leno was included in the 27-man provisional team, he was left out of this year's FIFA World Cup.

Previously, Arsenal signed right-back Stephan Lichtsteiner after his contract expired with Italian side Juventus. Currently, Petr Čech and Colombian David Ospina are the other goalkeepers in the Arsenal squad.

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Text adapted from Football: Arsenal sign Bayer Leverkusen goalkeeper Bernd Leno by Wikinews contributors under CC BY 2.5. Paragraphs have been selected and abridged, and formatting adjusted. Contributor history.