|
MUNICH -- Germany international striker Sandro Wagner has sealed a deal to return to his boyhood club Bayern Munich, the Bundesliga leaders have confirmed. The German champions had been in talks with Hoffenheim about signing their former youth-team product for a number of weeks, with Hoffenheim manager Julian Nagelsmann recently saying he expected a deal to be done "in the next two weeks." Wagner will officially join Bayern on Jan. 1 on a contract until 2020. He told the club's official website: "I'm delighted. A long journey for me is now at an end and I can return to my home, my club. "I'm very happy that it's come off. Bayern are the best club in Germany and one of the best in the world. When I got the offer, I didn't have to think about it for long." Bayern sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic was also pleased to seal Wagner's signature ahead of the winter break. "In Sandro Wagner we have another Germany international coming to Bayern," he said. "We're convinced that Sandro will enhance our squad with his class and his experience." Wagner joined Bayern at the age of nine, making his Bundesliga debut in 2007. However, the Munich-born striker failed to make the breakthrough, spending spells at Duisburg, Werder Bremen, Kaiserslautern and Hertha Berlin before rediscovering his best form at Darmstadt in 2015. After joining forces with Nagelsmann at Hoffenheim in 2016, Wagner won his first cap for Germany earlier this year and has scored five goals in seven appearances for his country. Wagner, 30, will act as backup for top striker Robert Lewandowski.
|
