New Dortmund midfielder Axel Witsel reveals Bayern Munich's interest in signing him last season

Bengaluru, August 13: Borussia Dortmund's latest acquisition Axel Witsel has revealed that Bundesliga rivals and champions Bayern Munich tried to sign him last year.

After impressing in the FIFA World Cup 2018 in Russia, Belgium international Witsel joined Dortmund in this summer for a reported €20 million transfer fee from Chinese Super League club Tianjin Quanjian, where he spent around one-and-a-half-year.

The Belgian recently revealed that the former Bayern manager Carlo Ancelotti, who was sacked as coach in September 2017, was interested in signing him last year but that effort went in vain.

The 29-year-old told Bild, “They did not call me but spoke to my former coach Fabio Cannavaro, and he kindly and politely told Carlo Ancelotti that it was not possible.”

Excited to get started on this new journey, looking forward to the new season 💪🏽🖤💛 @BVB #BVB #AW28 pic.twitter.com/b30EVpD0TG

— Axel Witsel (@axelwitsel28) August 6, 2018

In the recently concluded FIFA World Cup 2018 in Russia, Witsel was one of Belgium’s regular players and appeared in six out of their seven matches in the tournament. After the World Cup, where Belgium finished at the third position of the tournament, Witsel was keen to make a comeback in Europe and now he is feeling proud to be part of Dortmund. At Tianjin Quanjian, Witsel played 47 matches and scored six goals.

The Belgian midfielder hopes that he will return to his best at the very initial stage of the season.

Witsel said: “I feel good, I have been training intensively during my holidays and I have been resting for three weeks. Of course, I’ll need one or two games before hoping to be 100 per cent.”

After 18 months in China, I would like to thank everyone at Tianjin Quanjian for an amazing experience. We have created great memories together. Thank you to all the fans, staff and team for making the time we had together unforgettable.
Much love and gratitude 🙏🏽👐🏾❤ #AW28 pic.twitter.com/KOQVOo9vQH

— Axel Witsel (@axelwitsel28) August 6, 2018

Witsel has also praised the Bundesliga and feels that it is of the 'same level' as the Premier League. The Belgium international footballer has played in Portugal (Benfica), Russia (Zenit Saint Petersburg) and China (Tianjin Quanjian) after starting his career in Standard Liege.

Talking about the level of Bundesliga, Witsel said, “For me, the level in the Bundesliga is not worse than in England, it’s the same. Maybe they have more media attention in England, but the level is the same.”