GERMANY: FOOTBALL/SOCCER Bayern Munich sign Italian striker Luca Toni and French midfielder Franck Ribery

Record ID: 572627

  • Title: GERMANY: FOOTBALL/SOCCER Bayern Munich sign Italian striker Luca Toni and French midfielder Franck Ribery
  • Date: 8th June 2007
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE)(German) BAYERN MUNICH MANAGER ULI HOENESS, SAYING: "We are proud to have got players like this to Munich. Together with the other five we got, plus possibly Miro Klose, where we have an open situation, our buying policy is completed."
  • Embargoed: 23rd June 2007 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Germany
  • Country: Germany
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVAHYLNH9SPP2OS3DB3D1AVM3NT
  • Story Text: Bayern Munich strengthen their squad with two World Cup stars, French midfielder Frank Ribery and Italian striker Luca Toni.
    Free spending Bayern Munich completed the signing Italy striker Luca Toni from Fiorentina for 11 million euros ($14.76 million), and France midfielder Franck Ribery from Olympique Marseille on Thursday (June 7) after agreeing a fee that could rise to 30 million euros ($40.50 million).
    Ribery, 24, passed a medical in Munich before signing a four-year contract with the 20-times German champions on the same day they unveiled Italian striker Luca Toni.
    The signing of Ribery has been financed by the sale of England midfielder Owen Hargreaves to Manchester United for a reported fee of 25 million euros and is seen as a coup for the German club as he was wanted by Real Madrid and Arsenal.
    "We are proud to have got players like this," Bayern manager Uli Hoeness told a news conference, also confirming the club was hoping to sign Miroslav Klose from Werder Bremen.
    Ribery posed with the number seven shirt, while Toni takes the number nine.
    "I like the trikot very much. I hope I will be wearing it a lot and scoring in it a lot," Toni said, referring to the team shirt.
    Ribery said he was attracted to Bayern because of the club's Champions League pedigree.
    Bayern will have to pay a 26 million euro transfer fee and then an additional 4 million if the German club qualify for the Champions League at the end of next season, French sources close to the matter said.
    It takes Bayern's spending for the new season to around 60 million euros as they rebuild after finishing only fourth in the Bundesliga, missing out on a place in the Champions League.
    As well as the World Cup winner Toni (11 million euros), Bayern have signed Germany left-back Marcell Jansen (10 million), Argentine midfielder Jose Ernesto Sosa (10 million), Germany forward Jan Schlaudraff (one million) and Turkish midfielder Hamit Altintop (free).
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