holy shit!
#mufc has reached an agreement with Bayern Munich to sign Bastian Schweinsteiger. More: http://t.co/NCru8O7KVU pic.twitter.com/DT8T5QYS4T
- Manchester United (@ManUtd) July 11, 2015
Schweinsteiger, a World Cup winner in 2014, is set to become the first German to play for the #mufc first team. pic.twitter.com/e62homEHv7
- Manchester United (@ManUtd) July 11, 2015
#DankeBasti pic.twitter.com/CxwziQiCqG
- FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN) July 11, 2015
"We tried to convince him to stay at Bayern Munich, but I have a bit of understanding for a player who has been 17 years at the club, that he wants to try something different," Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said Saturday.
Rummenigge said the clubs were still in talks over the last details and that Schweinsteiger needs to complete a medical with the Premier League side. However, the transfer is all but completed.
"We sanctioned the move at his request," Rummenigge said. "We part as great friends."
Schweinsteiger scored 45 goals and set up 70 more in 342 league games for Bayern. He joined the club's youth sides from Rosenheim in 1998 and went on to win the Bundesliga a joint-record eight times, matching former club stalwarts Mehmet Scholl and Oliver Kahn. He also won the German Cup seven times and the Champions League once, when Bayern claimed the treble in 2013.
Schweinsteiger was named Germany captain following Bayern teammate Philipp Lahm's retirement from the national team after winning the World Cup last year. However, he subsequently missed months of last season through injury.
German daily Bild reported Friday that Schweinsteiger, who has a year remaining on his Bayern contract, is joining on a three-year deal in a transfer worth around $20 million.
Rummenigge said the player had received a "lucrative offer."
"He had this desire (to leave) and it's an understandable wish for a player coming to the end of his career," Rummenigge said. "With Bastian it was a special situation because he was so long at the club. I can assure fans that we will not be letting any more players go to Manchester United."
source + more in German here
Not even a Bundesliga/Bayern fan, but I can't believe this actually happened!
In other transfer talk, the newest rumour/report regarding De Gea is that apparently Real has dropped the pursuit after landing Casilla (from Espanyol). Wut?!