Berlin (Germany), Jan 20 (IANS): Yann Sommer will fill the gap of injured goalie Manuel Neuer after putting pen to paper on a deal with the Bavarians until June 2025, the German giants confirmed in an official statement on Thursday.

After a long back and forth, Bayern Munich eventually signed Monchengladbach's custodian Sommer, who replaces Neuer with immediate effect for the time being. Neuer suffered a leg fracture during a skiing trip back in December and will be ruled out for the remainder of the season.

"I'm really looking forward to my new role at FC Bayern. It's a big club with power, we've often played against each other. I know about the enormous quality and appeal of this club. I'm proud to be part of FC Bayern now. We have big tasks ahead of us," Sommer told the club's official homepage.

The 34-year-old goalkeeper is part of Switzerland's national team, the "Nati", and showed his skills several times at the 2022 World Cup. Sommer joined Monchengladbach from FC Basel in 2014 and made overall 272 Bundesliga appearances, reports Xinhua.

"Yann Sommer is a valuable reinforcement for us because he has a lot of international experience and knows the Bundesliga for many years. He has everything he needs to contribute to our success right away. We are sure that we can achieve our goals with Yann Sommer," Bayern Munich's chairman Oliver Kahn said.

Bayern's new arrival received jersey No. 27 and will encounter Leipzig at the curtain raiser of Bundesliga's second half of the season.