Bayern Munich are set to receive a major boost ahead of Saturday’s Champions League final against Inter Milan (Bayern 23/10, Inter 6/5, draw 9/4 – 90 Minutes) with the news Franck Ribery is to sign a new five-year contract.
The 27-year-old Frenchman’s current deal is due to expire in 12 months and that has resulted in reported interest from the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Chelsea. However, with Bayern now proving they are capable of reaching the final of a major tournament under Louis van Gaal this term, it appears that has been sufficient for Ribery to pledge himself to the Bavarian giants until 2015.
Ribery will miss Bayern’s bid to lift the Champions League trophy (7/5 Bayern – Outright Winner) due to suspension, but he was given permission to take a break from training with the France national side ahead of next month’s World Cup (France 16/1 – Outright), and he will fly to Madrid to watch the final.
German newspaper Bild claims that, following talks between his agents Alain Migliaccio and Jean-Pierre Bernes and Bayern bosses in the club’s Madrid hotel on Thursday, Ribery will put pen-to-paper on a new club-record salary on his arrival on Saturday.
If everything goes to plan Sport1 television understands Ribery will make a formal announcement from the balcony of Munich town hall on Sunday when the team parades its German Bundelisga title and possibly the Champions League trophy after a procession from the Allianz Arena.
Meanwhile, former Bayern coach Ottmar Hitzfeld, who won the tournament with them in 2001, feels the German side will come out on top against Jose Mourinho’s Inter on Saturday, while he feels they ‘will dominate European football in the coming years’.
Comparing his victorious side of nine years ago and Van Gaal’s current crop, 61-year-old Switzerland coach, Hitzfeld, told the Welt newspaper: “We had a great team spirit back then and that is the case today also.
“Nevertheless, the current team has a bit more substance to it and has players like Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery, who are two extraordinary players, among their ranks.
“They are world-class players who can create a lot of pressure down the wings.
“But also (Mark) van Bommel and (Bastian) Schweinsteiger are world class. For me, there is no better midfield in Europe at present than Bayern’s.”
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