Football
Mark Lovell, Bayern Munich blogger 7y

Niklas Sule: Joining Bayern Munich was 'a once in a lifetime opportunity'

Former Chelsea target Niklas Sule has described signing for Bayern Munich as "a once in a lifetime opportunity," insisting "a move to England wasn't yet right" after opting to join the Bundesliga champions ahead of the Premier League leaders.

Spurning interest from Chelsea, Sule, 21, signed a five-year deal at Bayern until 2022 for a reported fee of around €25 million. Hoffenheim teammate and fellow Germany international defender Sebastian Rudy will also join the Bavarians this summer on a free transfer.

"I had good talks with the bosses at Bayern and Hoffenheim," Sule told Sky Deutschland. "Ultimately, I opted for Bayern as it's a once in a lifetime opportunity."

With 90 Bundesliga appearances under his belt for Hoffenheim, Sule faces stiff competition for a spot in Bayern's central defence from Germany's 2014 World Cup winning partnership of Jerome Boateng and Mats Hummels.

However, Sule, who made his Germany debut in August, is looking forward to the challenge.

"I believe I'll fit in well and can learn a lot from the other central defenders there," he said.

The versatile Rudy, 26, who has 12 caps for Germany, is also keen to make an impression in Bavaria.

"I'm fulfilling an absolute dream," Rudy said. "Everyone knows that Bayern Munich is one of the best teams in the world."

Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge told the club's official website: "Signing two Germany internationals is an investment in FC Bayern's future."

^ Back to Top ^