João Palhinha, Hiroki Ito, Aleix García and the best Bundesliga transfer XI so far
Bayern Munich have made three big signings, Bayer Leverkusen are strengthening their invincible team, and bright young stars have been on the move. bundesliga.com looks at 11 of the most exciting Bundesliga transfers so far this summer...
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Grabara will have the challenge of replacing the long-serving Koen Casteels at Wolfsburg this season, having joined from Copenhagen.
The goalkeeper joins the Wolves after an impressive season in Denmark, including a clean sheet away to Bayern in the UEFA Champions League. Having spent five years in Liverpool’s youth teams between 2016 and 2021, which included a loan spell at Huddersfield Town under former Mainz boss Jan Siewert, the Poland international eventually joined Copenhagen where he went on to make 126 appearances. At 25, Grabara has plenty of goalkeeping years ahead of him, and the Wolfsburg fans will be hoping they’re spent at the Volkswagen-Arena.
Following Mats Hummels' departure at the end of the 2023/24 campaign, Dortmund needed to fill the void. Step forward Anton, who joins from last season's Bundesliga runners-up VfB Stuttgart.
The 27-year-old was Die Schwaben's captain and missed just one league match throughout their impressive season just past. Only champions Leverkusen conceded fewer than Stuttgart's 39 goals, and Anton led by example, providing much-needed experience for the club's younger players. His club performances also earned him two substitute appearances for Germany at UEFA Euro 2024. Should he strike up a strong understanding with Nico Schlotterbeck at the Signal Iduna Park, we could see that duo line up for both club and country in the years to come.
Watch: Borussia Dortmund unveil Waldemar Anton
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Leverkusen have made French U19 centre-back Belocian one of the first new additions to their title-winning squad. The youngster joins from Stade Rennes, where he made 32 league appearances last season with a further six appearances coming in the UEFA Europa League.
The talented defender has also represented his country in multiple age groups, from U17 all the way up to the U21s, lifting the U17 European Championship in 2022. Fellow Bundesliga stars Mathys Tel of Bayern and El Chadaille Bitshiabu of RB Leipzig were also part of that team, and Belocian will surely be looking forward to competing against his compatriots next season as Xabi Alonso's men aim to defend their title.
Bayern's first acquisition after being dethroned was Japan international Ito from Bundesliga rivals Stuttgart. After an impressive three seasons at the MHPArena, including last term's thrilling climb into the Champions League places, the Munich club decided the 25-year-old was just what they needed after a trophy-less campaign.
Since joining Stuttgart in the summer of 2021 from Júbilo Iwata, Ito has made 85 Bundesliga appearances and forged a reputation as one of the most reliable centre-backs in the league with his impressive tackling and composure on the ball. The left-footer's adaptability is another one of his strengths, as he can also play at full-back. With only eight yellow cards in his Bundesliga career so far, Ito has displayed an outstanding ability to read the game which Bayern fans will surely see plenty of in the near future.
Watch: The best of Hiroki Ito in the Bundesliga!
Having spent time in the academies of teams such as Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City, Olise first made a name for himself in the English Championship with Reading, where he made his debut as a 17-year-old. His outstanding performances soon saw him join Crystal Palace in the Premier League in 2021, where he went on to make 82 league appearances, scoring 14 goals and recording 25 assists.
Olise’s touch, composure and direct dribbling made him a target for numerous clubs across Europe, so Bayern will be delighted that he’ll be playing his football at the Allianz Arena next season as the Bavarians look to regain the Bundesliga title.
After a historic season in Spain with Girona, who qualified for the Champions League for the first time in their history, García has decided to join a fellow history-making Spaniard in Xabi Alonso, his new coach for the upcoming season at Leverkusen.
Having risen through the ranks at Villarreal, García joined Premier League giants Manchester City at the age of just 18, where he would go on to make nine appearances for the Premier League side before leaving for Romania and Dinamo Bucharest. After returning to his native Spain with Eibar, García then joined Girona where he would play a pivotal part in his side achieving an incredible third-placed finish in the 2023/24 season, ahead of the likes of Atlético Madrid.
Naturally, García’s impressive performances attracted plenty of interest, including that of another former midfield maestro in Alonso, as well as Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes, who said: "Aleix has leadership qualities that will be very valuable to us in the coming years".
The Portuguese midfield enforcer joins Vincent Kompany's side having impressed at youth club Sporting Lisbon and in the last two years at Fulham.
Palhinha’s ability to break up play with his tackling and intelligent interceptions made him a top target for Bayern, and they’ll be relieved to finally have their man, who will bring plenty of steel to their midfield. The Portugal international has plenty experience with winning trophies too, having lifted two League Cups, a Super Cup and a league title with Sporting, as well as another League Cup with Braga.
He's now desperate to get going at Bayern, telling the club's website: “This is one of the happiest days of my life. I'm now playing for one of the top clubs in Europe. It's a dream come true for me, and I'm very proud of that. I'm looking forward to the atmosphere and the fans at the Allianz Arena. I want to enjoy success with FC Bayern and win titles - I'll give it my all.”
The 18-year-old arrives at Eintracht Frankfurt having made quite a name for himself in Bundesliga 2 with Nuremberg. At such a young age, Uzun quickly became known as one of the most dangerous attackers in the division, managing to score 16 times in just 33 league games, whilst also recording a further three goals in the DFB Cup.
Uzun’s consistently sparkling performances naturally caught the eye of many Bundesliga clubs and even the Türkiye national team, for whom Uzun made his debut against Hungary earlier this year. For Frankfurt fans, they can now look forward to their new attacker lighting up the Bundesliga with his youthful enthusiasm and endless creativity in their colours as they look to build on last season’s sixth-placed finish.
Although still only 18, there's a lot of expectations on the shoulders of Leipzig’s new starlet. Ouédraogo, whose father is a former Burkina Faso international, has had a meteoric rise to the Bundesliga since making his Bundesliga 2 debut at the age of just 17 for Schalke.
While his debut ended in a disappointing 5-3 defeat to Hamburg last July, Ouédraogo still enjoyed an impressive first season in professional football, appearing 22 times for the Royal Blues and recording three goals and two assists from midfield. Having such an immensely talented player - who Leipzig sport director Rouven Schröder described as “intelligent, athletic and technically excellent” - joining the Bundesliga will not only excite Leipzig fans but even those from opposing teams.
Watch: The best of Assan Ouédraogo
The 6'1" Hamburg native has swapped Augsburg for Stuttgart after a stunning 2023/24 campaign which saw Demirović score 15 times and provide nine assists in 33 Bundesliga appearances. A former Hamburg and Leipzig youth player, Demirović has finally settled after a nomadic stint with Spanish side Alavés, which resulted in loan spells in France, Spain and Belgium before moving to Freiburg in 2020.
After two seasons with Freiburg, Demirović made the move to Augsburg where things truly clicked last term. Hard-working and unselfish but more than comfortable in front of goal, the 26-year-old will provide even more of a cutting edge in a side that just finished second in the league. As a result, Demirović will feature in a European club competition for the first time next season - and the Champions League nonetheless.
“I’m so pleased to be joining VfB and can hardly wait to get started,” said Demirovic after penning a four-year deal. “After we played in Stuttgart, I immediately became a fan of the club. I like the team here and the way they play. I know some of the guys already, so it shouldn’t take me too long to settle in.”
Watch: The best of Ermedin Demirović
Only Harry Kane scored more goals across Europe’s top five leagues last season than Guirassy, who struck his 28 in as many Bundesliga outings in a superb campaign for Stuttgart that saw them finish second. It was therefore no surprise that the Guinea international attracted interest from some big clubs, but he’s opted for the UEFA Champions League runners-up. “When Borussia Dortmund enquire, that’s special. Every kid around the world interested in football knows this club, the black and yellow shirts, the Yellow Wall,” Guirassy said after signing his four-year contract.
It's a big boost for BVB as they look to improve on last year’s fifth-place finish with a proven goalscorer who can provide competition to Niclas Füllkrug. “Our aim is to show top performances in the Bundesliga, DFB Cup, Champions League and the FIFA Club World Cup, and to achieve our ambitious goals. We need first-class options in all positions for that,” stated sporting director Sebastian Kehl. With confirmation that the France-born 28-year-old does not need surgery on an injury discovered during his medical, Dortmund will hope to have their new striker fit and firing from the start of the season.
Watch: All 28 Guirassy goals in 2023/24
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