Bayer Leverkusen complete Guela Doue signing as Strasbourg’s transfer income passes €200m

Bayer Leverkusen have completed the signing of Guela Doue from Strasbourg in a deal worth about €37.5m.

The 23-year-old Ivory Coast right-back has joined the German club after an impressive season in Ligue 1, taking another significant step in his career.

Doue’s move also represents a major financial success for Strasbourg. The French club signed him from Stade Rennais for only €6m two years ago, meaning the transfer to Leverkusen has generated a substantial profit.

The defender’s market value had been estimated at €20m, considerably below the fee agreed by the two clubs. His departure is the latest in a series of lucrative sales made by Strasbourg during the summer transfer window.

Diego Moreira has moved to AC Milan for €50m, while Valentin Barco has joined Chelsea in a deal worth €40m. Combined with the Doue transfer and other business, those departures have taken Strasbourg’s summer income beyond the symbolic €200m mark.

The scale of the revenue highlights Strasbourg’s growing influence in the transfer market. The Alsace club has continued to develop young players before selling them for significantly higher fees, with Doue providing another example of that strategy.

Doue had earned an annual salary of €900,000, equivalent to 585,000,000 FCFA, during his time at Strasbourg.

His arrival at Bayer Leverkusen comes as the club prepare for their second match of the German championship season. Leverkusen are due to face Union Berlin in their next league fixture.

The match is scheduled to be Leverkusen’s second game of the campaign, with the newly completed signing joining a squad competing in Germany’s top division.

The available betting prices for the fixture list Leverkusen as favourites at 1.50. A draw is priced at 4.33, while an Union Berlin victory is offered at 5.50 by 1xbet.

Doue’s transfer gives Leverkusen another defensive option while allowing Strasbourg to continue a run of high-value sales. For the French club, the agreement adds to a summer in which player trading has generated more than €200m in total income.