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Sebastian Rode has officially completed his move to Dortmund, where he will receive a four-year contract until 2020. Rode will presumably come in and fill some of the minutes opened up by Ilkay Gundogan, who just last week completed his transfer to Pep Guardiola's Manchester City. According to Kicker, the transfer fee is €14 million, which is not a bad piece of business for either side. Dortmund get a very solid midfielder at a fairly cheap price while Bayern make a solid profit off of a player they not only didn't have playing time for, but also signed for free.
"Sebastian Rode asked us to release him from his contract because he thinks he has a chance to play on a regular basis in Dortmund. We've granted this request. FC Bayern thanks Sebastian Rode for his commitment and his strong character in the last two years" - Karl Heinz Rumenigge, official club release
When Rode moved to Bayern just two years ago, many thought he would follow a path similar to Jan Kirchoff or Jan Schlaudraff, but his tireless work-ethic and versatility helped him make 35 appearances in just his first season. Unfortunately, his second season was not as successful, as more additions in the midfield saw his playing time diminished to just 17 games.
In a statement Rode states his excitement to join Dortmund. "I have been a BVB-fan ever since I was a child, so I'm extremely excited that a transfer to my favorite club was successful. Thomas Tuchel is a great coach, and I know many of my teammates have great characters and are extremely good athletically. I'm very excited for the new challenge and for my first home game at the Signal Iduna Park," said the 25-year-old midfielder.
As for Dortmund, this continues what has been an already very busy summer for them, as this is their third singing of the summer, and fourth player slated to join the club for the preseason. Along with Rode, Dortmund have secured the signatures of attacker Ousmane Dembélé (19, Stade Rennais), midfielder Mikel Merino (19, Osasuna), and defender Marc Bartra (25, Barcelona).