Bayern Munich have sealed the signing of RB Leipzig defender Dayot Upamecano, who had previously been linked to Liverpool and Chelsea.
The 22-year-old rose in the ranks with French Valenciennes before joining Red Bull Salzburg in 2015. Manchester United and other top hitters from Europe were also interested in him at the time.
The defender shone when his team reached the semi-finals of the Champions League. They also finished third in the Bundesliga.
At this point he was considered one of the most promising young centrals in Europe. Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United were among the clubs said to be after signing him.
(picture : GettyImages)
But Bayern Munich has beaten rivals to the signing of Upamecano. The German giants have activated his £38.5 million buyout clause and he will join their new club this summer.
Bayern’s Sporting Director, Hasan Salihamidzic, told BILD on Friday, as cited by The Mirror, that the deal for Upamecano was completed:
“I can confirm and we are very happy about that at FC Bayern.We had very good, intensive and professional discussions with Dayot and his agent Volker Struth for several months.
“We knew we had very tough competition. Upamecano is a young player, 22, whose qualities are already exceptionally developed.
(Photo by GettyImages)
“I was always convinced that we had with a good concept. We presented him with our vision of his career at FC Bayern.
“During the past week, I spoke to everyone involved again. At the end of a long process, the player, his family, and his management were convinced that FC Bayern was the right partner for them.”
He has made over 130 appearances for Leipzig since then, but he enjoyed his best season to date in 2019/20
