Yurchenko pens Leverkusen extension

Bayer 04 Leverkusen have announced that Vladlen Yurchenko has signed a contract extension which ties him to the club until the end of the 2017/18 campaign.

The Under-21 Ukraine international is in his second season at the BayArena, having joined the Werkself in 2014 from Shakhtar Donetsk.

Yurchenko’s current deal was due to expire in June, but after impressing for Roger Schmidt’s side this term and scoring his first goal for Leverkusen in a 3-0 win over Wolfsburg earlier this month, the Bundesliga outfit have secured the future of the attacking midfielder for the next two years.

“Vlad has come on a lot in the past few months,” Bayer sporting director Rudi Voller told the club’s official website.

“His most recent performances in the Bundesliga were very impressive. If he continues like that then we’ll enjoy watching him at Leverkusen for a while yet.”

The 22-year-old added: “I really feel at home here in Leverkusen. This club has a lot of confidence in young players and gives them the opportunity to develop at a very high level.

“I’ve got my chance here and I definitely want to make the most of it.”