Vancouver star Alphonso Davies joins Bayern Munich in record MLS deal

Wednesday 25 July 2018 20:54, UK

Vancouver Whitecaps teenager Alphonso Davies has joined Bayern Munich in a record-breaking deal that could make him the most expensive Major League Soccer player.

The Whitecaps said the deal could be worth up to £18.8m if certain targets are met. US media reports said Bayern had paid a £11.1m transfer fee for the winger.

Davies, who turns 18 in November, has signed a contract which runs from January 2019 until June 2023, the two clubs confirmed.

"As a kid, I always dreamed of a moment like this," Davies said. "Now that the dream has come true, the work continues as always.

"I have to keep pushing and keep striving, and also keep being me on the field. Ever since I joined the 'Caps when I was 14, they moulded me throughout the years into the pro that I've become."

Davies will play the remainder of the MLS season before joining Bayern in January.

The transfer is the latest step on a remarkable rise for the Canadian international. Davies was born in a refugee camp in Ghana in 2000 after his parents fled fighting in the second Liberian civil war.

When Davies was five his family moved to Canada as refugees.

His talent for football was quickly spotted and he joined the Whitecaps youth set-up in 2015 at the age of 14.

He made his MLS debut for Vancouver in 2016 and a year later played for Canada in the CONCACAF Gold Cup, finishing the tournament as joint top-scorer with three goals.