Bayern Munich have confirmed the signing of Schalke goalkeeper Alexander Nubel on a free transfer.
The 23-year-old tipped as the long-term successor to Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, will join when his Schalke contract expires at the end of the 2019-20 season.
Nubel has put pen to paper on a five-year contract at the Bundesliga champions, officially moving to the Allianz Arena on July 1.
ℹ️ #FCBayern have signed Alexander Nübel for the 2020/21 season. pic.twitter.com/JeqJ8jA86q
— FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN) January 4, 2020
Bayern travel to Doha for a training camp on Saturday, with sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic teasing before the flight.
Nubel has enjoyed a rapid rise at Schalke after making his Bundesliga debut as a 19-year-old.
While he only made a couple of first-team appearances in his first three years, during the 2018-19 season he was installed as number one by Domenico Tedesco, replacing long-term custodian Ralf Fahrmann between the posts.
At the beginning of this season, new manager David Wagner appointed Nubel as club captain, at just 22 and with only 20 Bundesliga appearances to his name – evidence of the high regard the youngster is held in at the club.
However, Schalke announced in December that he would not be renewing his contract before it expired at the end of the current season.
He is currently serving a four-match suspension for a horrendous foul on Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder Mijat Gacinovic.
Some leading figures in German football had warned Nubel away from the well-beaten track to Bayern, with the youngster now facing a huge battle to dislodge Neuer – who signed from Schalke himself in 2011 – from the starting XI.