Bayern Munich confirm Raphael Guerreiro signing on free transfer

Bayern Munich have confirmed the signing of Portuguese left-back Raphael Guerreiro from Borussia Dortmund on a free transfer.

The 29-year-old will officially join the Bundesliga champions when his Dortmund deal expires at the end of the month, and he has signed a three-year contract until 2026.

Having established a reputation as one of the standout left-backs in the Bundesliga over the past seven years, Guerreiro was not expected to be short of interest this summer.

Manchester City were said to have been keen in a deal for the former Lorient man, but Bayern have won the race to secure his services for the next three seasons.

Guerreiro's switch to the Allianz Arena sees him reunite with Thomas Tuchel following their stint together at Dortmund, and he spoke highly of the German in his first interview with fcbayern.com.

Welcome to FC Bayern, Rapha! 😁👍#ServusRapha pic.twitter.com/p8x9BZ9FEL

— FC Bayern Munich (@FCBayernEN) June 23, 2023

"When the call came from FC Bayern, I made my decision fast. It's an honour for me to be able to play for this great club, and I also regard Thomas Tuchel highly from our time together at Dortmund," Guerreiro said.

"I'm a player who always wants the ball – it's about controlling the game and I want to create chances. I'll give my all so that we win as many titles as possible. That's the philosophy of FC Bayern."

Born in France, Guerreiro represented Clairefontaine and Caen at youth level before making his senior breakthrough with Lorient, earning a €12m (£10.3m) move to Dortmund in the summer of 2016.

Guerreiro immediately became a regular starter for BVB and impressed with his attacking prowess down the left-hand side, registering 40 goals and 50 assists in 224 appearances.

The 29-year-old - who has played as a left-back, left wing-back and central midfielder during his career - ended the 2022-23 season with six goals and 14 assists from 36 matches, setting up a league-high 12 goals in the Bundesliga.

© Reuters

Dortmund agonisingly missed out on the title to Bayern on the final day, but Guerreiro still leaves having won two DFB-Pokal crowns and one German Super Cup from his time at the Westfalenstadion.

"Raphaël Guerreiro has been among the best and most consistent players in the Bundesliga for years. He's versatile and internationally experienced, and fits perfectly into our team as both a character and player," Bayern CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen added.

"We're very happy that we've been able to sign him and that he'll be wearing the FC Bayern shirt in the future. The coach and we as management are in agreement that he will undoubtedly enhance our game."

A 64-cap Portugal international, Guerreiro was a part of the Selecao's triumphant squads at Euro 2016 and the 2018-19 Nations League finals, and he becomes Bayern's second signing of the summer after Konrad Laimer's arrival from RB Leipzig on a free transfer.