Bayern Munich confirm signing of Marcel Sabitzer from RB Leipzig
By Tom Gott
Bayern Munich have confirmed the arrival of Austrian midfielder Marcel Sabitzer from Bundesliga rivals RB Leipzig.
The 27-year-old has entered the final 12 months of his contract with Leipzig and quickly made it clear that he wanted to join Bayern and reunite with former boss Julian Nagelsmann.
Personal terms were agreed a while ago, and after weeks of negotiations, a fee of around €16m was struck between the two clubs late last week. Things moved pretty swiftly after that and Bayern have now taken to their official website to unveil Sabitzer as the latest arrival at the Allianz Arena.
“I’m delighted to have the opportunity to play for FC Bayern," Sabitzer said. "As a child my Bayern jersey was my pride and joy – I got a new one at Christmas every year. I’ll give everything for this club, I want to win as many matches as possible and of course collect lots of titles.”
Sporting director, Hasan Salihamidzic, added:“We’re very happy to have brought Marcel Sabitzer to FC Bayern. Marcel is a very good footballer, he has a great mentality, he’s very ambitious and he carried responsibility on and off the pitch as captain of RB. Our coach knows him very well and what a leader he is. We’re looking forward to having him.”
Sabitzer spent seven years with Die Roten Bullen, including a year on loan at sister club Salzburg, and made 229 appearances in all competitions. He netted 52 goals for the club but it was industry and creativity in midfield that saw his stock rise once Leipzig had achieved their dream of reaching the Bundesliga.
He was instrumental in helping the club reach the latter stages of the Champions League, and has also become a key player for the Austrian national team. Once linked with a move to Tottenham, Sabitzer now departs for a Bayern side looking to continue their domination of German football.
Leipzig, meanwhile, are hoping to replace Sabitzer with 18-year-old midfielder Ilaix Moriba in the coming days. He's been frozen out at financially ruined Barcelona after failing to agree a new contract and is expected to move to Germany for around €20m.
More to follow...