Werder Bremen agree Youri Regeer loan with Ajax as Stage injury reshapes midfield plans

Werder Bremen have reached a full agreement with Ajax to sign Youri Regeer on loan, with the Bundesliga club moving quickly to reinforce their midfield following the serious injury suffered by Jens Stage.

The 23-year-old has travelled to Bremen and is undergoing a medical ahead of completing the move, according to Sky Germany. The agreement also includes an option allowing Werder to make the transfer permanent.

No official announcement has yet been made, but the negotiations have moved beyond the exploratory stage and only the final formalities remain before Regeer can join Daniel Thioune’s squad.

Werder’s need for another midfielder became significantly more urgent after Stage suffered a major muscular injury that is expected to keep him out until around the end of the year.

The Denmark international has been an important part of Bremen’s midfield structure, and his absence leaves Thioune without one of the players capable of combining physical coverage, pressing intensity and late runs into attacking areas.

Regeer offers a different profile but gives Werder valuable flexibility.

Primarily comfortable in defensive and central midfield, the Netherlands youth international can operate as either a No.6 or No.8 and has also accumulated experience in wider defensive roles.

That versatility is particularly useful for a Werder squad dealing with both availability problems and late-window uncertainty elsewhere in the team.

The move also follows a difficult opening to the Bundesliga season.

Werder were beaten 4-1 by Freiburg on Sunday, conceding three times after half-time as Yuito Suzuki completed a hat-trick for the hosts. Dariusz Stalmach scored Bremen’s only goal.

Thioune acknowledged afterwards that his side are still developing the connections and mechanisms required after another summer of squad changes, while Stage’s injury has added an immediate recruitment problem to that broader rebuilding process.

Regeer now appears set to become part of the solution.

The midfielder returned to Ajax from FC Twente in 2025 and signed a contract running until June 2029, but his position in Amsterdam has changed sufficiently for another move to become possible.

Ajax strengthened their midfield with Sofyan Amrabat during the closing stages of the current window, further increasing the competition around Regeer and creating the conditions for a temporary departure.

Dutch reporting had indicated on Sunday that Ajax and Werder were approaching an agreement. Sky Germany subsequently reported on Monday that a full deal had been reached and that Regeer was already undergoing his medical in Bremen.

The inclusion of a purchase option gives Werder protection on both sides of the deal.

They can address an immediate squad problem without committing permanently before Regeer has adapted to the Bundesliga, while retaining the possibility of keeping him if the move proves successful.

For Ajax, the loan creates playing opportunities for a player who remains under a long-term contract rather than forcing a permanent decision at the end of the transfer window.

The timing is significant for Werder.

Stage’s absence is not expected to be short term, and Sunday’s defeat at Freiburg exposed how quickly Thioune needs greater stability and depth in central areas.

Regeer will not be a like-for-like replacement for the Dane, but his ability to cover several midfield functions gives Werder another option as they attempt to navigate the first half of the season without one of their established starters.

The transfer is therefore not yet official, but the decisive negotiating work has been completed.

Ajax and Werder have agreed the loan, a purchase option has been included and Regeer is already in Bremen completing the medical process.

Barring a problem with the remaining formalities, Werder are now positioned to add the Dutch midfielder before the German transfer window closes.