Bundesliga outfit Börussia Mönchengladbach have confirmed the signing of defender Matthias Ginter on a four-year deal from rivals Borussia Dortmund for a fee of around £14.5m, although the fee remains undisclosed officially.
Ginter leaves Dortmund in search of first-team football
Ginter becomes the Foals' sixth signing following deals for BSC Young Boys midfielder Denis Zakaria, SC Freiburg winger Vincenzo Grifo, AS Nancy youngster Mickael Cuisance and 1860 Munich midfielder Florian Neuhaus as well as a loan deal for West Ham United's Reece Oxford.
The deal follows the departures of right-back Julian Korb and centre-back Andreas Christiansen, with the former joining newly promoted side Hannover 96 while the latter returned to Premier League champions Chelsea after his loan deal expired.
Dortmund's sporting director Michael Zorc told the club's official website that Ginter wished to leave "due to the competition for places in defence" and that the club "decided to grant him that wish" after a period of deliberation.
Zorc continued by saying that Der BVB "would like to thank him expressly for his commitment " and that the club "wish him nothing but the best for his future professional endeavours."
Defender vastly experienced despite his youth
The 23-year-old, who can play as either a right-back or centre-back, made 42 appearances for Dortmund across all competitions last season and was part of the side that lifted the DFB-Pokal in May.
Ginter made his senior debut for Freiburg aged 18 and went on to make 81 appearances for the club, scoring five goals before making the move to Dortmund in 2012 for whom he would make 102 appearances across three seasons.
Internationally, the defender has been capped 14 times by Germany and was part of the 2014 World Cup winning squad. He also received a silver medal for his country in the 2016 Rio Olympics, and most recently lifted the 2017 Confederations Cup in Russia.
Speaking to the official Mönchengladbach website, sporting director Max Eberl spoke of his delight at securing a "top player" whom he admitted the club had been interested in "for a long time."
Eberl highlighted Ginter's vast experience as a "World Cup and Confed Cup winner" who has also "played in the Champions League" with Dortmund, concluding by saying that he will prove to be a "key player for us and will help the younger players."