Gomez agrees Bayern move

BERLIN // VfB Stuttgart striker Mario Gomez has agreed to join Bayern Munich, the Bavarian club and the German Football Federation said today. According to media reports, the deal is worth an estimated €30 million (Dh153m). If confirmed, that would make Gomez the most expensive Bundesliga player in history. "I am looking forward to Bayern," Gomez told Bayern's official website at the start of an Asian tour with the German national team, which sees them take on the UAE in Dubai on June 2. "The club is something special. I want to compete for the championship with them and look forward to the Champions League."

Gomez scored 24 times for Stuttgart this season, a personal best, and has long been on Bayern's shopping list. The deal only became possible after Bayern clinched the second Bundesliga spot leading to automatic Champions League qualification and guaranteeing several million euros worth of added revenues. Bayern confirmed their interest only hours after grabbing the spot with a 2-1 win against Stuttgart on Saturday.

"We are delighted that Mario Gomez has decided to join us," said the Bayern General Director Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. "He is a first class striker, one of the best in Germany." Bayern have already signed Anatoliy Tymoschuk from Zenit St Petersburg, Ivica Olic from Hamburg and Alexander Baumjohann from Borussia Moenchengladbach. *Reuters