At the end of last season, it was confirmed that Bayern Munich would be losing two senior players on free transfers. Niklas Sule had rejected a contract renewal from Die Roten at the start of the year. His destination was announced soon as Borussia Dortmund reached an agreement with him in February. Meanwhile, Corentin Tolisso also confirmed his departure from Rekordmeister in May.
Tolisso was expected to attract a lot of interest as he was linked with various clubs throughout the season. However, it does look like the French midfielder will be returning to Ligue 1 after spending five years in Bavaria.
According to RMC, Corentin Tolisso underwent medical on Thursday to seal a move back to Lyon. The French midfielder will most likely be presented as a new player for Lyon later today. The length of Tolisso’s contract at Lyon is yet to be revealed.
Bayern Munich made Tolisso their record transfer in 2017 for a fee close to €41.5 million. The French midfielder enjoyed a productive debut season as he provided goals and assists from midfield. He rounded off a good debut campaign with a place in the French squad that won the World Cup 2018 in Russia.
Things started going downhill for Tolisso at Bayern in the second season. After winning the World Cup with France, Tolisso suffered a cruciate ligament injury at the start of the 2018/19 campaign. He was ruled out for more than eight months. The French midfielder continued to struggle with various injuries in the next three years, which restricted him from getting a run of games in the first team.
Tolisso’s quality was never in doubt, as he fared well whenever he played for Die Roten. However, his availability was poor due to his poor luck with injuries. It was widely reported that Bayern was considering a contract renewal for him, but it was not a financially feasible solution for the club.
Eventually, Corentin Tolisso parted ways with Die Roten. A move to Lyon will be beneficial for the French midfielder to kickstart his career. He is entering the peak years of his career, so getting regular game time is crucial. With the World Cup a few months away, Tolisso will be looking to start well with Lyon to have a chance to be in the French squad.
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Bayern has replaced Tolisso with Ryan Gravenberch. The Dutch midfielder completed a move to Bavaria from Ajax earlier this month. Gravenberch will be fit for pre-season after recovering from an injury that he suffered in May. The Dutch international will be wearing number 38 at Die Roten.