Bayern signs Germany midfielder Goretzka from rival Schalke

Bayern Munich signed Germany midfielder Leon Goretzka on Friday on a free transfer from Bundesliga rival Schalke effective from next season.

Bayern said the 22-year-old Goretzka signed a four-year deal from July 1 through June 2022.

Schalke, which Goretzka joined in 2013 from hometown club Bochum, said the player informed the club this week of his wish to join Bayern when his contract expired.

"We think we did everything in the last months to convince Leon to stay with us," Schalke sporting director Christian Heidel said. "In the end, it wasn't enough."

Schalke had long been engaged in trying to get Goretzka to extend his contract, but was aware of reported interest from Bayern, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus and Liverpool.

"We're very happy that Leon Goretzka, a German international with big potential, has decided in favor of Bayern despite big-name international competitors. This way it's ensured that Leon Goretzka remains in the Bundesliga," Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said.

Goretzka scored 19 goals and set up 13 more in 130 appearances for Schalke.

The club had previously expressed its displeasure with Bayern making public statements about its player after Goretzka was praised by sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic and coach Jupp Heynckes.

Heidel said "we don't need to hear every day from the Munich people how good our player is."

Goretzka has six goals in 12 games for Germany.

Aubameyang saga overshadows Dortmund's start to year

Borussia Dortmund was hoping for a quiet start to the year after a turbulent 2017 but Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has ensured the drama continues.

Aubameyang's relationship with the German club has deteriorated to such an extent that he was suspended by Dortmund last weekend and the Gabon striker is being linked with a move to the English Premier League this month.

Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger hinted there had been contact on Thursday when he said: "These kind of things, it's better when it's secret."

Wenger's remarks drew immediate criticism from Dortmund, with sporting director Michael Zorc saying: "We find it lacks respect to talk about players from other clubs. There is no contact with Arsenal."

Aubameyang, who has scored 98 goals in 143 league games since joining Dortmund from Saint-Etienne in 2013, missed a team meeting last weekend.

Zorc said he didn't know what the striker was thinking. It was the third time in just over a year that Dortmund player.

Aubameyang was dropped in November for inviting a film crew to the club and then turning up late for training. Former coach Thomas Tuchel also banned him 12 months earlier for taking an unsanctioned trip to Milan.

On Monday, English teammate Jadon Sancho published an Instagram video during which Aubameyang asked him to "bring me to London one day," a post that has since been deleted.

The Aubameyang saga has prolonged the sense of upheaval at the club after a testing year in 2017. There was a bomb attack on the team bus in April, while Tuchel was fired in May and chief scout Sven Mislintat left for London club Arsenal last month.

On the field, Dortmund's bestever start to a season was followed by a dramatic collapse that effectively ended its title hopes and led to the dismissal of new coach Peter Bosz in December.

Aubameyang has scored 13 league goals this season but he has been inconsistent and a loss of form coincided with Dortmund's slump. The team failed to score without him when they were held to a 0-0 home draw by Wolfsburg on Sunday.

While Zorc has been highly critical of Aubameyang, new coach Peter Stoeger has been more conciliatory and has left the door open for the 28-year-old forward to reclaim his place in the side.

Kicker magazine has reported that Dortmund values its striker at 70 million euros. has suspended the

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