Borussia Dortmund have confirmed the news that they will sign Niklas Sule on a free transfer when his contract at Bayern Munich expires in the summer.
Sule has spent the last four-and-a-half years at Bayern after completing an £18million move from Hoffenheim in 2017. However, he will now join Marco Rose's side in June.
Sule will leave Bayern having won four Bundesliga titles, two DFB-Pokals and the Champions League during his 158 appearances in all competitions.
Given Sule's contract is due to expire in the summer of 2022, he was able to negotiate terms with other clubs during the January transfer window.
As a result, Sule spoke to several clubs about leaving the Allianz Arena on a free transfer after failing to reach an agreement with Bayern over an extension.
The 26-year-old had been linked with moves to Chelsea, Newcastle and Barcelona during the transfer window.
However, Dortmund were able to fight off the other interested parties to secure Sule's services ahead of the 2022-2023 season.
The Bundesliga giants have reportedly agreed on a four-year deal with the German defender.
The club's sporting director Michael Zorc confirmed the news by saying: 'We are pleased that we were able to sign a German national player in Niklas Sule and retain him for four years.'
Sebastian Kehl - who will succeed director Zorc in the summer - also shared his excitement about Sule's arrival at the club.
Kehl said: 'Niklas has shown us in personal discussions that he is very interested in Borussia Dortmund.
'He has a lot of experience, calmness in the build-up game and the necessary physique to take the next step with us from the summer.'
The news will come as a blow to Bayern fans - given the fact the defender is joining their title competitors.
As it stands, Dortmund are the closest challengers to Bayern in the German top-flight. They are nine points away from the leaders.
BVB manager, Marco Rose, hopes the arrival of Sule will help Dortmund overtake Bayern in the coming years.
Sule - who has 37 caps for Germany and played a role in his nations victory in the 2017 Confederations Cup - will be eager to add more silverware to his tally.