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Barcelona tried to hijack Bayern Munich's move for Bundesliga star - Reports

Konrad Laimer is a much sought-after player in the footballing world, with both Bayern Munich and Barcelona vying for his signature.

It appears that Bayern have won the race for Laimer's services, with an official announcement from the club expected shortly, according to MiaSanMia.

Understand Konrad Laimer has finally signed his contract as new FC Bayern player starting from July 1. Deal done months ago and it’s now also sealed. πŸš¨πŸ”΄πŸ‡©πŸ‡ͺ #FCBayern

Official statement will be very soon, probably already this month. https://t.co/D4Qi3QFhRS

The 25-year-old Austrian, who is currently with RB Leipzig, is slated to join Bayern Munich on July 1st. However, Barcelona also attempted to secure Laimer, having inquired about him last week and making contact with his representatives.

According to MiaSanMia, however, they were informed that Bayern had already agreed a deal with the player prior to this.

With six months left on his contract, Konrad Laimer was given the go-ahead to speak to other clubs, so Barcelona's decision to move for him is understandable. However, they had no idea that verbal and personal deals had already been struck with Bayern Munich.

Konrad Laimer to FC Bayern is a done deal. The Austrian midfielder has signed his contract and will join the club in the summer on a free transfer [@georg_holzner, @kicker] https://t.co/mtLmzZtTvx

Laimer will provide more defensive solidity in midfield, which made him a target for Julian Nagelsmann and Xavi Hernandez. Laimer's defensive abilities are in addition to other contributions he can make in midfield.


Bayern Munich sack goalkeeping coach

According to a report from Bild, Bayern Munich have terminated the contract of goalkeeping coach Toni Tapalovic after it was revealed that he leaked internal chats to players at the club. Tapalovic had been at Bayern since 2011 and was credited with improving Manuel Neuer and making him one of the best shot-stoppers in the world.

Tapalovic had a particularly close relationship with members of the Bayern squad, Neuer in particular, and was even the best man at the German shot-stopper's wedding.

This close relationship may have been the reason and how the coach passed on internal correspondence to the playing squad, but ultimately led to him losing his job.

Neuer may also face a struggle for his position as the 37-year-old's role as number one is not as secure following the arrival of Yan Sommer, who joined the club after the German's recent injury.

Now 42 years old, Tapalovic will now move on to the next phase of his career and is likely to attract a new employer soon given his known ability as a coach. However, his next employer may be cautious given his revealed attitude towards internal memos.

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