Bayer Leverkusen double up on left-backs with Ligue 1 runner-up

Bayer Leverkusen have completed their second left-back signing of the summer after securing the services of a Ligue 1 runner-up. The Bundesliga club had already added Miguel Gutiérrez to their defensive ranks, but now they are reinforcing the position once more.

National team manager Carles Martínez is overseeing a full overhaul of Leverkusen’s left flank. According to Florian Plettenberg, the club has now agreed terms with Facundo Medina, a 27-year-old Argentine defender. Medina arrives from Olympique Marseille for a reported fee of 20 million euros and will sign a five-year contract, pending a medical examination.

Medina established himself at RC Lens in Ligue 1 before moving to Marseille in the recently concluded season. In his only campaign with the Phokéens, he made 26 appearances and shared the dressing room with former Bundesliga players Leonardo Balerdi (Borussia Dortmund) and Amine Harit (Schalke 04). For the Argentina national team, he has earned 14 caps to date. At Bayer Leverkusen, he joins compatriots Exequiel Palacios and Ezequiel Fernández, becoming the third Argentinian in the squad. Unlike the attack-minded Gutiérrez, Medina is primarily a defensive player who can also operate as a centre-back.

His most recent international duty came at the World Cup, where he featured in the final following Cristian Romero’s 70th-minute substitution. Since then, however, he has not played for Marseille. The French club’s decision to release him aligns with their need to generate revenue and avoid sanctions from France’s financial regulator, the DNCG. Marseille have already sold Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to Deportivo A Coruña and are reportedly close to losing goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli to Manchester City.