Eric Dier: Tottenham’s England defender moves to Bayern Munich on loan

Tottenham defender Eric Dier has joined Bayern Munich on loan until the end of the season.

Dier said the move was a “dream come true” and added “as a child you want to play for a club like Bayern one day”.

Spurs have also completed the signing of Genoa center-back Radu Dragusin for around £25m.

Bayern have the option to sign Dier for a further year after the loan contract ends.

He added: “Bayern is one of the biggest clubs in the world and has an incredible history.

“I want to help the team with my versatility in defense. I’m really looking forward to my new team-mates and the fans at the Allianz Arena, which in my eyes is one of the best stadiums in the world.”

Dier will join former Tottenham and England team-mate Harry Kane at 32-time Bundesliga champions Bayern.

Their boss Thomas Tuchel said in a news conference on Thursday: “He’s a specialist at centre-back, he has also played as a six in the Premier League, but not any more for a long time.

“We’re getting him for the center-back position – he can play right or left center-back as well as in a back three.”

Dier, who only has six months left on his current Spurs deal, has been capped 49 times by England but struggled to claim a first-team place for Tottenham this season.

Manager Postecoglou said his side could afford to lose Dier, despite problems in his defense.

Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven have both suffered with injuries this season and Postecoglou has played full-backs Ben Davies and Emerson Royal in central defense in recent weeks to cover gaps in the backline.

Dier joined Tottenham in a £4m deal from Portuguese side Sporting Lisbon in 2014 and has made 274 Premier League appearances, but started only one league game this season.

Spurs have already been active in the transfer window, bringing in former Chelsea striker Timo Werner on loan from RB Leipzig and Romanian Dragusin from Genoa, with full-back Djed Spence heading in the other direction to Italy as part of a 25m euros (£21.5 m) deal.

Tottenham, fifth in the Premier League, are next in action on January 14 at Manchester United.

More to follow.