German soccer is set to lose one of its big names after Bayern Munich confirmed that Mario Mandzukic will be joining Atletico Madrid for an undisclosed transfer fee. The German outfit deemed Mandzukic as surplus after managing to secure Robert Lewandowski on a free transfer. Further, Mandzukic failure to fit into the plans of Guardiola is also seen as one of the reasons for his exit. Still, he is regarded as one of the top strikers in the world. At just 28, he has a lot of years left in him. This has led to interest from the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal in the last few weeks.
There was also a possibility of the Croatian striker staying in German football with the likes of Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen candidates to sign him. However, he appears to have set his sights on moving to Atletico Madrid, who reached the Champions League final last season. Bayern Munich sporting director Matthias Sammer confirmed that the two clubs have come to a verbal agreement and he does not expect the transfer to fail at this stage. He has not revealed the transfer fee, but it is likely to be in the region of £ 10 million.
Despite his struggles last season, he still scored 28 goals and was the top scorer at Bayern. “There is a verbal agreement between Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich, as well as between Atletico Madrid and Mario Mandzukic. Although nothing has been signed yet, I believe that we all will stay true to our words,” said the Bayern Munich sporting director. The move does not come as a major surprise since Mandzukic accepted that he was not going to fit into Guardiola’s passing style of football. The Croatian is someone who relies upon his physical advantage to score.