Niklas Sule is set to leave Bayern Munich once his contract expires and link up with Borussia Dortmund as a free agent, with interest from England being snubbed by the Germany international.
The 26-year-old centre-half has opted against committing to fresh terms at the Allianz Arena, with a new challenge now being sought.
There were suggestions that he could head to England, with Newcastle and Chelsea said to be among his many suitors, but a man that has been on Bayern’s books since 2017 has taken the decision to remain in the Bundesliga and sign a four-year contract with BVB.
What has been said?
Sule confirmed that the matter of his future had been resolved several weeks before this month's announcement, stating to BILD: "In the last few days and weeks, there has been a lot of talk about me and speculation about what I want to do and why.
"I already decided a few weeks ago to play for Borussia Dortmund in the future. "From our first contact, I felt that those at the club were very interested in working with me. [They] gave me an impressive impression of the role I can play at [Dortmund].
"I had the feeling that they wanted me as both a person and as a footballer. I was impressed by the way they looked after me, so I quickly knew where I was going to play in the future."
Zorc confirms delight with capture
Dortmund’s sporting director, Michael Zorc, told the club’s official website of securing the services of another proven performer: “We are pleased that we were able to sign a German national team player in Niklas Sule and retain him for four years.
“Niklas has shown us in discussions that he is very interested in Borussia Dortmund.
“He has a lot of experience, calmness in the build-up game and the necessary physique to take the next step with us from the summer.”
Borussia Dortmund has signed Niklas Süle for the 2022/23 season ✍️ pic.twitter.com/WC7EeffRXj
— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) February 7, 2022
The bigger picture
Bayern agreed a deal for Sule in January 2017 and welcomed him onto their books that summer as the physically-imposing centre-half joined them from Hoffenheim.
He has taken in 159 appearances while in Munich and savoured four Bundesliga title triumphs.
Sule, who has 37 caps to his name, has also won the DFB-Pokal on two occasions, formed part of a Champions League success in 2019-20 and helped Bayern to UEFA Super and Club World Cup honours.
He has turned down offers of a new contract at the Allianz Arena, but his representatives insist that money was not a factor in a decision to move on.
GOAL and SPOX were able to confirm in January that Sule was ready to take on a new challenge, with Bayern lining up a move for Andreas Christensen as his replacement – with the Danish defender running down his own deal at Chelsea.
Dortmund have now got their man, with Marco Rose’s side looking for another reliable centre-half option to slot into their ranks.
Mats Hummels, who returned to BVB from Bayern in 2019, has endured injury struggles of late, while there are suggestions that Manuel Akanji – who is working on terms until 2023 – may start to explore alternative options.
Sule will be able to slot straight into the heart of Dortmund’s defence, while he is also capable of providing cover for Belgium international Thomas Meunier at right-back.