Mark Flekken, the 31-year-old Dutch goalkeeper for Brentford, moved to Bayer Leverkusen after Brentford turned down a €9m offer on May 30, 2025, aiming for €13m; they finally agreed on a fee of £11m, which shows Brentford’s plan to find a replacement first, according to Sky Sports.
Flekken, who came to Brentford in May 2023 to take over from David Raya (who is now at Arsenal), played almost every match last season, helping the team end up 10th in the Premier League. However, his leaving fits with Brentford’s trend of selling older players—like Raya and possibly Bryan Mbeumo—to invest in younger talents like Caoimhin Kelleher.
This transfer brings Flekken back together with Erik ten Hag, the manager of Leverkusen since he left Manchester United, showing a pattern of Dutch players moving to teams with their former coaches abroad. Meanwhile, Brentford fans on X are sharing mixed feelings—thankful for Flekken’s efforts but also excited about Kelleher’s £12.5m move from Liverpool.
