Bundes Liga
Jansen leads march to Bayern
Afp, Berlin
Germany's international defender Marcell Jansen will join Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich this summer after signing a four-year contract in a deal worth nine million euros (12 million US dollars) it was revealed on Friday -- with more arrivals expected. Jansen, who has won 14-caps for his country, will leave Borussia Moenchengladbach, who were relegated from the Bundesliga last weekend, and has completed the deal after passing a medical in Munich. A fringe player in the German squad, 21-year-old Jansen is highly regarded by national coach Joachim Loew, who has included him in his squad for next month's Euro 2008 qualifiers against San Marino and Slovakia. "This is an important step in my career and has been very carefully thought out," left-back Jansen told German sports magazine Kicker on Friday. But Bayern's gain is Moenchengladbach's loss. "We did not plan to sell Marcell Jansen, he was part of the planning for the coming season. But we can understanding his wish to improve himself and further his career," said Borussia president Rolf Koenigs. Jansen's switch is sure to be the first in a long list of arrivals at Bayern Munich set to be announced in the next few weeks by the German giants who are smarting after their worst season for more than ten years. Of those confirmed for next season, talented 23-year-old striker Jan Schlaudraff is joining from relegated Alemannia Aachen and Turkish international midfielder Hamit Altintop is coming from Schalke 04. While Argentinian midfielder Jose Ernesto Sosa is set to join from Argentina's Estudiantes de La Plata, as is Italian World Cup winner Luca Toni from Fiorentina. But there is a long list of big names who Bayern are courting as head coach Ottmar Hitzfeld looks to completely rebuild his squad. English giants Chelsea are negotiating with Dutch winger Arjen Robben, but if the 23-year-old fails to agree terms, Bayern are ready to step in. Other targets include attacking midfielder Franck Ribery (Marseille) and Portugal's forward Ricardo Quaresma (Porto FC), while former Bayern midfielder Ze Robertos is set to return after a season playing for Santos in his native Brazil. Bayern have already lost the services of Engish international midfielder Owen Hargreaves, who is set to join Manchester United, Mehmet Scholl (retired), Juventus-bound midfielder Hasan Salihamidzic. Peruvian striker Claudio Pizarro and Iranian midfielder Ali Karimi are both leaving Bayern, but there has been no announcement of where they will go.
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