Lucas Hernández signs for Bayern Munich
The Atlético Madrid and France defender has agreed to join the Bundesliga champions in June after Bayern met his €80m minimum release clause.
Bayern Munich have agreed a deal to sign Atlético Madrid and France defender Lucas Hernández at the end of the current season after meeting the player’s 80-million-euro release clause.
Bayern have been monitoring the 23-year-old for some time and were close to signing him in the January window but Diego Simeone made it plain to the club’s hierarchy that he wanted the World Cup winner to remain at the Metropolitano.
However, Hernández will now move to the Bundesliga champions in the summer after agreeing terms on a five-year contract at the Allianz Arena.
Hernández to undergo season-ending surgery
“I’m very happy to be able to sign one of the best defenders in the world, a World Cup winner, in Lucas Hernandez,” Bayern sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic said in a statement on the Bavarian club’s website. “Lucas can play both in central defence and at left-back. Moreover, Lucas will continue our great tradition of French footballers and improve our team.”
The departure of Hernández will come as a blow to Simeone and Atlético, with the club having been knocked out of the Champions League and effectively the Liga title race after losses to Juventus and Betis before the international break.
To add injury to insult for Simeone, Bayern also announced that a knee problem that has sidelined Hernández in recent weeks is serious enough for surgery to that after discussions with Atlético it was agreed that the France defender would go under the knife in the coming days, effectively ending his season and his Atlético career in one fell swoop.
"During the medical examination we found damage to the medial collateral ligament in his right knee that must be remedied through surgery,” Bayern’s club doctor Hans-Wilhelm Müller-Wohlfahrt was quoted as saying on the club website. “Based on experience, Lucas Hernandez will be available for FC Bayern by the start of the 2019/20 Bundesliga season.”