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Former Manchester United and Ajax player Daley Blind will leave current club Bayern Munich in the coming weeks.
Blind, 33, joined Bayern, who were recrowned Bundesliga champions yesterday, in January.
In a dramatic final day of the season, on which the outcome of the Bundesliga winner rested, Bayern managed to beat Köln 2-1 thanks to a late goal from 19-year-old Jamal Musiala, pipping Borussia Dortmund, who drew 2-2 with Mainz, to the title by a matter of goal difference.
Blind was limited, however, to four league appearances and did not feature in a single minute under Thomas Tuchel, who replaced Julian Nagelsmann in March.
The versatile Dutchman was recruited by the Bavarian chiefs with the view to supplement various injured players such as Lucas Hernandez.
At the end of December, he rejected offers from Royal Antwerp and Real Sociedad to join Bayern after having agreed to terminate his contract at Ajax six months before the initial expiration date.
Following the apparent mutual decision to part ways ahead of schedule, Blind candidly scorned the Ajax hierarchy:
“I thought for a very long time that I would finish my career at Ajax,” he explained.
“And then I thought: if I do go sooner, then next summer, when my contract expires. With hopefully another title and a farewell through the front door.
“But it got to the point where I wasn’t even welcome at the club where I’ve walked around since I was seven.”
Blind made 141 appearances in all competitions at United and won three Eredivisie under the management of Erik ten Hag at Ajax.
He has been Dutch champion on seven occasions across two spells in Amsterdam, won the Europa League, FA Cup and League Cup, and was part of Louis van Gaal’s squad that finished third place in the 2014 World Cup Finals.
As Blind only signed a six-month contract with Bayern, he will now be available as a free agent again. Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that his disappointing spell in Munich will not be extended.
Bayern are in a period of turnover and transition as the club’s supervisory board announced the sacking of both CEO Oliver Kahn and sporting director Hasan Salihamidžić immediately after yesterday’s final whistle.
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