Bayern Signs Morocco’s Mazraoui on Free Transfer from Ajax

Ajax's Noussair Mazraoui runs during the Dutch Eredivisie premier league match between Ajax and Heerenveen at the Johan Cruyff ArenA in in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Wednesday, May 11, 2022. (AP)
Ajax's Noussair Mazraoui runs during the Dutch Eredivisie premier league match between Ajax and Heerenveen at the Johan Cruyff ArenA in in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Wednesday, May 11, 2022. (AP)
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Bayern Signs Morocco’s Mazraoui on Free Transfer from Ajax

Ajax's Noussair Mazraoui runs during the Dutch Eredivisie premier league match between Ajax and Heerenveen at the Johan Cruyff ArenA in in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Wednesday, May 11, 2022. (AP)
Ajax's Noussair Mazraoui runs during the Dutch Eredivisie premier league match between Ajax and Heerenveen at the Johan Cruyff ArenA in in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Wednesday, May 11, 2022. (AP)

Bayern Munich picked up Morocco right back Noussair Mazraoui on a free transfer from Ajax on Tuesday in the club’s first signing of the offseason.

The Bavarian club said in a statement that the 24-year-old Mazraoui signed a four-year deal through June 2026. There’s no transfer fee due to Ajax because his contract was to expire.

"Mazraoui is the next building block as we continue to strengthen our team in a targeted way," Bayern chief executive Oliver Kahn said. "We have big aims again for the new season."

Bayern won the Bundesliga for a record-extending 10th consecutive season this year but disappointed in the Champions League and German Cup.

Mazraoui joined the Ajax academy in 2013 and made his first-team debut in 2018. He made 137 competitive appearances for the Dutch team, scoring 10 goals. Mazraoui has also scored once in 12 appearances for the Moroccan national team.

Bayern had been looking for a defender for the right side of the field since Hansi Flick was coach before Julian Nagelsmann took over ahead of last season. Nagelsmann can now move French defender Benjamin Pavard, who had been playing on the right, back into his preferred central position.

Bayern had a vacancy there since Niklas Süle opted to move to Borussia Dortmund on a free transfer.

Bayern is also reportedly working on bringing in 19-year-old midfielder Ryan Gravenberch from Ajax. Gravenberch’s contract runs through June 2023, however, meaning the clubs will need to agree to a transfer fee.

Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer extended his contract with the Bavarian club to 2024 on Monday.



Alcaraz, Sinner Would Benefit from New Big Three, McEnroe Says

Tennis - Laver Cup - Uber Arena, Berlin, Germany - September 20, 2024 Team World captain John McEnroe reacts during Team World's Thanasi Kokkinakis match against Team Europe's Stefanos Tsitsipas REUTERS/Annegret Hilse
Tennis - Laver Cup - Uber Arena, Berlin, Germany - September 20, 2024 Team World captain John McEnroe reacts during Team World's Thanasi Kokkinakis match against Team Europe's Stefanos Tsitsipas REUTERS/Annegret Hilse
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Alcaraz, Sinner Would Benefit from New Big Three, McEnroe Says

Tennis - Laver Cup - Uber Arena, Berlin, Germany - September 20, 2024 Team World captain John McEnroe reacts during Team World's Thanasi Kokkinakis match against Team Europe's Stefanos Tsitsipas REUTERS/Annegret Hilse
Tennis - Laver Cup - Uber Arena, Berlin, Germany - September 20, 2024 Team World captain John McEnroe reacts during Team World's Thanasi Kokkinakis match against Team Europe's Stefanos Tsitsipas REUTERS/Annegret Hilse

The emergence of a third young star to challenge the supremacy of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner would push the duo's already scintillating rivalry to new heights, tennis great John McEnroe said.

Alcaraz and Sinner are coming off a French Open final for the ages and head into next week's Wimbledon having evenly split the last six majors between them, Reuters reported.

"It's going to be an interesting time to see if there's another player or two who can break in with those two the way Novak (Djokovic) did when he was trying to get to the same level as Roger (Federer) and Rafa (Nadal)," McEnroe told reporters on Wednesday.

"It shows you what type of a player he was that he was able to do that. But right now, there's a void."

Djokovic, Federer and Nadal enjoyed a two-decade stranglehold on men's tennis and their era of dominance was made even richer by the three-sided nature of the rivalry.

In a Roland Garros showdown of unsurpassed quality, 22-year-old Alcaraz of Spain saved three successive match points to battle back from two sets down and beat the Italian in the longest French Open final in history.

Miami Open champion Jakub Mensik, 19, and 18-year-old Brazilian Joao Fonseca are two teenagers McEnroe could envision breaking into the Alcaraz-Sinner rivalry, as well as big-serving American Ben Shelton.

"One of those two guys or Ben would be my choice right now," said seven-time Grand Slam champion McEnroe.

"I think it would be important to get another guy or two to add to the mix. That would be really helpful."

McEnroe said the future of men's tennis is in great hands provided Alcaraz, who is seeking a hat-trick of Wimbledon titles next month, and world number one Sinner stay healthy.

"It was unheard of what we watched over the last 20 years and you can make the argument that what we're seeing now is even faster and different from what we saw even five years ago," he said.

"I can't wait to see what it's going to be like in 10 years, or five years even."