Football being sport - Bayern Munich complete deal for Ito, acquiring him from Stuttgart.
FC Bayern München has completed its first significant transfer of the upcoming season, bringing in defender Hiroki Ito from VfB Stuttgart. The announcement was made by both clubs on Thursday. Ito, a 25-year-old Japanese player, is using an escape clause in his existing contract with VfB, which would have lasted until June 2027. Instead, he has now signed with Bayern until 2028. The Japanese national team player has agreed to join Munich, as previously reported in the "Bild" newspaper.
Max Eberl, sports director of FC Bayern München, expressed his enthusiasm for the signing: "We're looking for players who bring new energy and are hungry, and Hiroki has all of that. He's the kind of player who relishes challenges, tackles them, and keeps moving forward. He's going to be a real boost for us."
Profit for Stuttgart?
At first, the transfer fee was not disclosed publicly. However, it's been reported that VfB Stuttgart could earn up to €30 million from the deal. While the financial benefits would be significant for the Swabians, they were actually paid much less for Ito than that when they signed him. Previously, he was on loan from Jubilo Iwata in 2021 before VfB officially signed him, and they didn't pay a high transfer fee.
In the 2021-2022 season, Ito was a crucial part of the Stuttgart defense, participating in all but nine of their matches. He played as a central defender or on the left side of the defense in almost every game, except for one.
Bayern in search for defensive stability
Following a dismal season without any titles, Bayern München is now searching for improved stability in the defensive line. This was evident in the poor performances of Dayot Upamecano and Minjae Kim, both of whom lost their starting positions in the final league game to Matthijs De Ligt and backup player Eric Dier.
Ito won't be the sole defensive recruit at Bayern under new manager Vincent Kompany. According to media rumors, Kompany has already reached a consensus with German international Jonathan Tah to join the club. Tah has informed his current team, Bayer Leverkusen, of his desire to leave.
