Bayern kicks off rebuilding with 2 new signings
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BAYERN Munich has started to rebuild its squad as coach Pep Guardiola prepares to leave after three seasons.
Bayern brought in Borussia Dortmund captain Mats Hummels yesterday and signed an 18-year-old rising Portuguese star to one of the richest contracts in Bundesliga history.
The moves come one week after Bayern was eliminated in the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League by Atletico Madrid, the third consecutive season Bayern has gone out at the penultimate stage against Spanish opposition.
But Bayern then went on to capture an unprecedented fourth straight Bundesliga title and can complete a domestic double in the German Cup final against Dortmund on May 21, Guardiola’s final match in charge.
Guardiola is leaving to join Manchester City and will be replaced by Carlo Ancelotti.
Hummels, who grew up in Munich and was groomed in Bayern’s junior sides, will sign a five-year deal once the customary medical is completed. The two sides gave no details, but German media estimated it to be worth 38 million euros (US$43.3 million).
Calling the move a “not an easy decision”, Hummels said he would like nothing better but for Dortmund to lift the German Cup.
“Before I return to my hometown in the summer, we have a big common goal: to again take the cup to Dortmund and celebrate with Dortmund fans in a huge party,” said Hummels, who spent more than eight years in Dortmund.
Hummels was on the Germany squad that won the 2014 World Cup in Brazil — scoring the winner against France in the quarterfinals — and has been a key player for Dortmund, which will finish runner-up to Bayern in the Bundesliga when the season concludes on Saturday.
He will be the third Dortmund player to leave for Bayern in recent seasons, after striker Robert Lewandowski and attacking midfielder Mario Goetze — scorer of Germany’s winning goal against Argentina in the World Cup final two years ago.
The second arrival, Renato Sanches, is costing Bayern at least 35 million euros, with the Bundesliga champion possibly spending an additional 45 million euros depending on performances. His contract is until June 2021.
Sanches came through Benfica’s junior ranks, and made his first-team debut in the Portuguese league last October. He has 59 appearances.
“He rates as one of the most talented young players in European football,” and there was “big-name international competition” to sign him, Bayern said in a statement on its website. It said he passed a medical in Munich on Monday.
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