Wollscheid will move to Leverkusen

Nurnberg have announced that defender Philipp Wollscheid will move to Bayer Leverkusen at the end of the season for an undisclosed fee. Wollscheid still had over two years left to run on his contract with Nurnberg but has agreed to sign a five-year deal with their Bundesliga rivals. "Philipp told us about his desire to move in an open and honest discussion," said Nurnberg chairman Martin Bader on the club's website. "We tried to show him that he is a significant player for us and that he had a contract until 2014, but we realised that he would like to take the next step in his career, which is understandable." The 22-year-old made his Nurnberg debut almost a year ago to the day, on 20 November last year against Hannover. He has since become a regular starter in Dieter Hecking's side and Nurnberg believe he has developed into a valuable member of their team since arriving from Saarbrucken in 2009. "We made it clear to Philipp and the clubs interested in him that Nurnberg would only be prepared to agree to a transfer if our valuation of Philipp was reflected in the transfer fee," added Bader. "After extensive and constructive talks over recent weeks, our expectations have been met by the offer made to us by Leverkusen."