Manchester City Signs Carlotta Wamser from Bayer Leverkusen

Manchester City have moved again in the transfer market, completing the signing of Germany full-back Carlotta Wamser from Bayer Leverkusen on a four-year deal.

The 22-year-old, comfortable on either flank at left-back or right-back, becomes City's third major addition of the summer, following defender Niamh Charles from Chelsea and forward Beth Mead from Arsenal. The WSL champions are reshaping their squad with intent – and Wamser arrives at exactly the right moment.

City open their title defence at home to Birmingham City on Sunday and the injury list is already uncomfortably long. Charles is sidelined, as are Grace Clinton, Vivianne Miedema, Jade Rose and Laura Wienroither. Depth in defence has gone from luxury to necessity. Wamser now walks straight into that gap.

She comes with pedigree. A product of Germany’s youth system, she has already collected 14 senior caps and was part of the Germany side that won the Under-17 European Championship in 2019. At club level, she joined Leverkusen from Eintracht Frankfurt on a free transfer in July 2025 and quickly established herself as one of the Bundesliga’s most promising young full-backs.

The move to Manchester feels like a statement from both sides.

"I had a perfect welcome here and I already feel very good here and I look forward to my time here in Manchester," Wamser said after completing the switch. For her, this is the step she has been waiting for.

"The English league is the best league in the world and Manchester City is one of the best clubs in the world. I feel like I need the next step for my career and I feel that I can develop as a player here. And I like the challenge as well, so I think it's the perfect step for me right now."

City see the same trajectory. Director of football Therese Sjogran underlined just how long the club have had Wamser on their radar.

"We are delighted to welcome Carlotta to the club. She is a player we've admired for some time and know she will bring energy, passion and a willingness to learn to the team.

"For such a young, exciting talent to trust us with the next step of her career is something we feel conveys a strong message of what we are building here."

City’s back line has been the bedrock of their domestic dominance. Now, with injuries biting and a new season about to ignite, they are betting on a 22-year-old German international to keep that standard high and push it even further.

Wamser wanted a challenge. The WSL champions have just handed her one.