Bayern Munich have announced the signing of 18-year-old Bajung Darboe. He will join Bayern from Los Angeles FC (LAFC) on a “long term” deal. He will begin his journey in Europe playing for the Bayern II side.
Tom Bogert reported in November that Bayern would pay $1.5 million for the forward. Darboe trained with Bayern in 2022 before he made his move to LAFC.
In March 2023, Bayern Munich and LAFC announced they had set up Red&Gold Football, which was to be a “global soccer development cooperation” of which both clubs owned 50%.
In an interview with The Athletic, Darboe said, “It was always a big wish of mine to get to pull on the shirt of this great club one day. ”
Who is Bajung Darboe?
Bajung Darboe is an 18-year-old playing for LAFC, having also been developed at Philadelphia Union and Minnesota United.
Despite not having played at the senior MLS level yet, he has been impressed enough to earn a transfer of more than $1 million to Bayern, the Bundesliga leaders.
Born in The Gambia, he has represented the US twice at under-17 level. He made 14 appearances for LAFC 2 in the MLS Next Pro competition last season.
Bayern’s experience buying from MLS
Recruiting from the MLS is not new to Bayern Munich. The transfer that will stand out for most is the signing of Alphonso Davies. He joined for €14 million from the Vancouver Whitecaps. The full-back has gone on to play for Bayern 217 times, winning five Bundesliga titles and a Champions League.
Darboe’s signing, however, more closely resembles that of Chris Richards. Richards moved from FC Dallas to Bayern at 18, having never made an MLS appearance. The defender played in a star-studded Bayern II side before being loaned to Hoffenheim and permanently transferred to Crystal Palace.
Richard’s Bayern II team included players like Jamal Musiala, Mallik Tillman, and Joshua Zirkzee. Trevor Chalobah has been recalled to Chelsea, so he will now have a significant role for Crystal Palace.