Kahn sets retirement date

The veteran goalkeeper has admitted that age will have caught up with him by the end of the forthcoming campaign, and will then head to Asia, where he won the Golden Ball at the 2002 World Cup in South Korean and Japan.

"I'm 39 next year. It will then be time to put the shorts away. After that, I have one or two things planned in Asia. They're a little behind in terms of the level of goalkeeping over there. It will be interesting to help them develop in that area."

"I have visited these countries a number of times, I was in China, Japan and Korea, and made a lot of friends there. I very much like the mentality of the people there. I'm looking forward to my time there, and the work will certainly keep me busy for a couple of years."

As regards his final season with Bayern, Kahn said the club's heavy spending in the transfer market, which saw them land stars such as Franck Ribery, Luca Toni and Miroslav Klose, gives him huge grounds for optimism.

"It's only fun at Bayern when you're top of the league. That's why I believe that we'll have a lot of fun and I'll be in a good mood.

"[The team] will have the opportunity to challenge on all fronts and win all possible titles. That's my goal, my desire. When you've been playing for 13, 14 years, you don't want to end your career on a season like the last one."