Bayern buy loanee Kingsley Coman from Juventus
April 27, 2017A day after home defeat against Borussia Dortmund in the German Cup semifinal, Bayern Munich announced that Kingsley Coman would be joining the club on a permanent basis, signing a contract through June 2020.
Bayern's long-term loan of Coman was set to expire at the end of the season, while the Bavarians had until the end of April to decide whether they wanted to purchase the 20-year-old winger for a reported 21 million euros ($22.8 million).
"Kingsley Coman is an important building block for the future of our club, therefore we have decided to take this option," Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge was quoted as saying in a club press release. "Kingsley is a promising player with great potential. We are convinced that he will contribute a lot to our cause in the coming years."
Coman has struggled with injury more this season than in his first campaign with Bayern, arguably playing a less prominent role for the club under Carlo Ancelotti than under Pep Guardiola. This has coincided with other attacking options on Säbener Strasse, like veterans Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben, staying in better physical condition than usual.
'Project 2021'
With Bayern mainstays like Bastian Schweinsteiger gone, and club captain Philipp Lahm retiring at the end of the season, the Bavarians have faced a few questions about the future. Other stars like Robben and Ribery are also approaching the twilight of their careers.
As a result, Germany's most successful club has been making quite a song and dance about its efforts to lock key players in on long-term contracts. Manuel Neuer, Jerome Boateng, Mats Hummels, Javi Martinez, David Alaba, Thomas Müller and Robert Lewandowski all have signed deals keeping them in Munich until 2021.
According to reports in German football magazine Kicker on Thursday, Spanish star Thiago can be added to the list. The 26-year-old Spaniard has reportedly agreed on a new contract to run beyond his current deal, which is valid until 2019.