Bayern Munich sign Japan defender Hiroki Ito from Stuttgart | OneFootball

Hiroki Ito is now a Bayern Munich player after joining the club from VfB Stuttgart.

The 25-year-old Japanese defender moves to the Allianz Arena for an undisclosed fee, and has signed a four year contract which runs until 2028.

“It is a great honour for me to be able to play for one of the biggest clubs in the world,” Ito told Bayern’s official website.

“The name FC Bayern also has a good reputation in Japan. I always gave my all at VfB Stuttgart and am grateful to the club. Now I am looking forward to the challenge in Munich and want to do my part to ensure that FC Bayern wins many titles.

“It was time to take a new step, and for me FC Bayern is the perfect club for that.”

A versatile defender capable of playing centre-back or left-back, Ito joined Stuttgart on an initial loan deal from Júbilo Iwata in 2022 and went on to make 97 appearances for the club.

At international level he has been capped 19 times by Japan.