Source: Daily_Mail
Liverpool miss out on Mark van Bommel as Dutchmen swaps Bayern Munich for AC Milan
Liverpool's hopes of signing Holland's World Cup star Mark van Bommel have been quashed after the player put pen to paper on a deal with Italian giants AC Milan.[LNB]The 33-year-old had his wish of a contract termination accepted by the Bayern Munich to enable him to join the Rossoneri.[LNB]'I am leaving FC Bayern with a heavy heart, but with my head held high,' Van Bommel said in a statement.[LNB] Combative: Mark van Bommel (left) has joined AC Milan[LNB]'I had four-and-a-half wonderful and successful years here and wouldlike to express my gratitude to the club and the fans. FC Bayern willalways have a place in my heart.'[LNB]Earlier, today Van Bommel had thanked Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge for allowing him to open negotiations with the Serie A side and leave the club six months before his contract was due to expire.[LNB]'I am a proud captain and the club has not laid anything in my way,' he said. 'I am very happy with the way Mr Rummenigge has treated me, that deserves respect.'[LNB]Bayern had not made their captain an offer for a contract extension beyond the end of the season, and Rummenigge admitted it was only fair to let him consider other options.[LNB]'It was Mark's expressed request to be released from his contract immediately to be able to transfer to AC Milan for sporting reasons,' said Rummenigge in a statement.[LNB] Engine room: Van Bommel was key to Holland's run to the World Cup final[LNB]'Mark was always a role model, an important and successful playerfor FC Bayern and, more than that, he was an exceptional captain. Givenhis service to the club, we accepted Mark's request.'[LNB]Van Bommel joined Bayern from Barcelona in 2006 and was made their captain in 2008 when Oliver Kahn retired.[LNB]He made a total of 122 appearances for the Bavarians, leading themout for last season's Champions League final against Inter Milan havinglifted the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal trophies at the end of one of theclub's most successful seasons ever.[LNB]He retained the captain's armband this season and made 13appearances, the last of which came last weekend in the 5-1 win overKaiserslautern.[LNB]Van Bommel is now set to undergo a medical in Milan and should be available for their Serie A clash with Catania on Saturday.[LNB]His move to Serie A could also see him win a league title in afourth country having succeeded four times with PSV Eindhoven inHolland, once with Barcelona in Spain and twice in Germany with Bayern.[LNB]Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City, along with Liverpool, were all been linked with the midfielder, who has fallen outwith boss Louis van Gaal. There were also offers in theBundesliga, most notably from Steve McClaren's Wolfsburg.[LNB] Liverpool lose out on Van Bommel as midfielder closes in on Wolfsburg moveLiverpool warned to up Van Bommel bid or risk missing out on DutchmanVan der Vaart: Spurs made me love football again... now get Van Bommel!All the latest Liverpool news, features and opinion[LNB] Explore more:People: Louis Van Gaal, Steve McClaren, Oliver Kahn Places: Barcelona, Liverpool, Milan, Spain, The Netherlands, Germany
