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Bayern management have repeatedly stated that there will be no new players joining the team this winter transfer period, but that doesn't mean they aren't planning for the summer. The first new player, officially announced today on FC Bayern Munich's website, is U-21 national team player, Joshua Kimmich.
Who is Joshua Kimmich?
The 19-year old defensive midfielder (who turns 20 in February) came up through the VfB Stuttgart youth system, but never played for their senior team. Stuttgart sold him to RB Leipzig (who play in the second division, but are threatening to get promoted to the Bundesliga for next season) in 2013, but inserted a buyback clause into the deal, enabling them to buy their player back after two years.
On the national team level, Kimmich has run through the U-17 and U-18 teams, and was crowned European Champion with the U-19 team in 2014, before making the jump all the way up to Horst Hrubesch's U-21 team.
This is how a buyback clause is supposed to work
Stuttgart secured themselves a buyback clause in Kimmich's current contract, which allowed them to get him back after two years for a sum of €750,000. That turned out to be quite the profitable agreement, as the reported transfer fee that Bayern is laying out is €7m. Reports indicate that Kimmich was not interested in returning to Stuttgart, and that Leipzig wanted to keep the midfielder, especially if they gain promotion, but the lure of a world class club like Bayern proved too much.
According to Bayern's own website, Kimmich was on Matthias Sammer's and Pep Guardiola's wish list, and, as kicker reports, Michael Reschke was heavily involved in the deal as well. Kimmich is expected to sign a 5-year contract that will run through 2020. Considering that Bastian Schweinsteiger's and Xabi Alonso's deals are set to expire in 2016, it appears that Bayern is restocking their defensive midfield for the future. Kimmich will have plenty of time to learn from the best, training with the world class midfielders.