BERLIN (Reuters) – Bayern Munich have signed Switzerland goalkeeper Yann Sommer from Borussia Moenchengladbach to replace injured Manuel Neuer, the German champions said on Thursday.
The 34-year-old Swiss signed a contract to 2025 ending a weeks-long frantic search by Bayern for a goalkeeper following Neuer’s injury.
Bayern paid Gladbach a transfer fee of around eight million euros, German media said.
“Yann Sommer is a valuable reinforcement because he is internationally very experienced and knows the Bundesliga as well for many years,” said club CEO Oliver Kahn.
“He brings everything in order to be able to contribute immediately to our success. We are confident of reaching our goals with Yann Sommer.”
Germany keeper Neuer broke a leg during a skiing holiday in December and underwent surgery, ruling him out for the rest of the season.
The 34-year-old Sommer, who helped Switzerland past the group stage in last month’s World Cup, has been at Gladbach since 2014 and has played in the Champions League with both Basel and Gladbach.
“I look forward to my tasks at Bayern, a big club with a lot of power,” Sommer said in a club statement. “I’m proud of being a part of Bayern. We have big challenges in front of us.”
He could be thrown straight into action with Bayern facing RB Leipzig in the season restart on Friday.
Bayern, who lead the Bundesliga standings by four points, face Paris St Germain in the Champions League knockout stage next month.
(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
