Christoph Kramer has signed a contract extension with Bayer Leverkusen until 2019, and is set to return from Borussia Monchengladbach to his parent club at the end of the season.
On Monday, Leverkusen confirmed that they have reached an agreement with the 23-year-old holding midfielder to extend his current deal by a further two years.
Following loan stints at Bochum and Gladbach, Kramer will return to Leverkusen in the summer of 2015 after being recently linked with the likes of Real Madrid and Arsenal.
The Germany international, who started the World Cup final but needed to be replaced early on in the first half after suffering a concussion, has put pen to paper on a new deal that will keep him at the Champions League club until 2019.
"There was no reason to hesitate after talking to those responsible at Leverkusen," Kramer told the club's official website. "The whole package of squad, coach and club just fits. I've known Leverkusen since my youth days, and it has always been a dream of mine to make it to the professional squad there.
"I have now achieved that with detours [at] Bochum and Borussia Monchengladbach. It gives me a great sense of pleasure," the Foals midfielder said, and brushed away all fears that he will take it easy during his final half-year at his current club. "I will do all I can [to help] the club return to Europe next season."
Christoph #Kramer, derzeit an Gladbach ausgeliehen, hat bei #Bayer04 um zwei weitere Jahre bis 2019 verlängert. pic.twitter.com/otb3AfMbOc
- Bayer 04 Leverkusen (@bayer04fussball) December 22, 2014
After the first half of the Bundesliga season, Gladbach trail third-placed Leverkusen by one point and one position. However, a fourth-placed finish would still see Kramer's current team reach the Champions League qualifiers next season.
Leverkusen CEO Michael Schade was happy that Kramer, who left the club without having played a single match for the first team in 2011, now returns as a fully-fledged Germany international. "It could not have run better for player and club," he said.
And Leverkusen sporting director Rudi Voller added that Kramer's return will be "reinforcement at the highest level of the strategically important position in midfield, even more so given the upcoming retirement of our captain Simon Rolfes."