Munich, Germany – Bayern Munich signed midfielder Javi Martinez from Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday in the most expensive transfer in the history of the Bundesliga, which spans 50 years.
The 23-year-old cost Bayern $50 million to lure from Bilbao, breaking the previous record set by the club in 2009 for the services of striker Mario Gomez, who cost an estimated $40 million from Stuttgart.
"I'm very happy and really looking forward to playing for a club with this extraordinary history," Martinez told FCB.tv. "I've had to wait a long time for this, but the waiting is over at last."
Martinez moves to the Allianz Arena on a five-year contract, and he will be introduced at a news conference in Munich on Thursday.
After scoring four goals in 31 La Liga matches for Athletic Bilbao last season, Martinez was a member of Spain's Euro 2012 championship side this past summer.
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