Bayern Munich have reached agreement to sign PSV Eindhoven and Morocco attacking midfielder Ismael Saibari in a package worth up to around €55m. Here's the fee, the contract, and why this is Vincent Kompany's signing.
Bayern Munich have reached an agreement to sign PSV Eindhoven and Morocco attacking midfielder Ismael Saibari in a deal worth around €55 million (£46.5m). The 25-year-old is set to undergo a medical in the United States — where the Bayern club doctor is already based with the German national team — before signing a contract that runs until 2031. An official announcement is expected to follow once the medical is complete.
The fee took weeks to settle. Bayern's winning package, around €55m, only came together after PSV held out for a higher guaranteed base for one of the Eredivisie's standout performers, and the two clubs went back and forth before closing the gap. At that price the move stands as a club-record sale for PSV, comfortably beyond any fee the Dutch side have banked before.
This is, above all, Vincent Kompany's signing. The Bayern head coach drove the board to add a central attacking option this summer, and both Sky Germany and Bild described Saibari as a 'Kompany dream signing' — a player the manager pushed hard to land.
Transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano and Sky Germany's Florian Plettenberg reported the full agreement, with Saibari having already settled personal terms before the clubs finalised the fee. Bayern saw off competing interest from Paris Saint-Germain to get the deal over the line.
Primarily a No. 10, Saibari has also played as a winger and through the middle as a striker. At Bayern he is expected to operate behind the front line and provide cover and competition for Harry Kane, giving Kompany flexibility across the attacking positions.
The move lands on the back of a breakout campaign and a strong World Cup. Saibari scored 15 goals and provided 8 assists in 27 Eredivisie matches for PSV last season, then opened the scoring for Morocco against Brazil in the group stage on 13 June, raising his profile on the game's biggest stage.
Because Saibari is already in the United States for the tournament, his medical is set to take place there, with the transfer expected to be confirmed officially in the coming days. The signing follows Bayern's €70m acquisition of Luis Díaz a year earlier as the German champions continue to rebuild their forward line.
