Bayern Munich announced on Monday that striker Mario Gomez will join Italian side Fiorentina.
Champions League winners Bayern said an agreement had been reached “in principle” for the 27-year-old, who found his place in the Bavarian team taken by Mario Manduzkic last season.
The two clubs had been negotiating over the transfer for some time, with Bayern saying last week the deal was dead as the Florentine club were reportedly unwilling to meet the German double winners’ 20 million euro ($25.7 million) asking price. Bayern’s communications director Markus Horwick said a contract until 2017 should be signed “in the next one to two weeks.” Gomez is expected to earn around four million euros a season.
Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport claimed the transfer will cost Fiorentina 15 million euros.
Gomez was under contract in Munich until 2016 but was known to have become frustrated at having to play second fiddle to Mandzukic last season.
He was eager to orchestrate a move abroad in order to get more first team football.
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Lance case A noN-issue: Mcquaid
Aigle (Switzerland), July 8: Seeking re-election amid fallout from the Lance Armstrong doping affair, UCI president Pat McQuaid believes the high-profile case should not be an issue in the campaign for the leadership of cycling’s world governing body.
McQuaid’s opponent, British federation leader Brian Cookson, has offered cycling a fresh start after the damaging case fuelled claims the UCI protected Armstrong from doping allegations during his 1999-2005 run of Tour de France wins.
McQuaid, who became UCI leader in 2005 after Armstrong first retired, said Monday the American rider “and issues related to him” should not affect the September vote.
“I don’t think he should be a factor,” McQuaid said. “This election should not be about what happened 10 years ago. This election should be about cycling today and cycling tomorrow.” — AP