Medhi Benatia joins Juventus on loan from Bayern

The loan will cost Juve an initial €3 million (£2.5m), with a further €17 million (£14.3m) required to prize him away from the Allianz Arena in 2017.

The Moroccan defender played 23 times for Bayern last season, but his future became unclear when the Bundesliga champions swooped for Mats Hummels from rivals Borussia Dortmund in May.

Benatia, 29, has already had stints in Italy with Udinese and Roma.

"Mehdia Benatia knows Italian football perfectly: he did great things with Udinese and Roma before joining Bayern and doesn't need time to adapt.

"He's still one of the best centre-backs of Serie A and can be very useful for Max Allegri's style of play. In a team like Bayern, maybe he can't be a main character, but in an Italian top club he definitely can."

"From a Bayern Munich perspective it’s understandable to let Benatia move to Juventus. He has never had a high standing in the team.

"With Boateng, Hummels, Kimmich, Martinez and maybe Badstuber coming back, there is no place left for Benatia. He was injured very often and has never really met the expectations, given he arrived as the best defender from the Serie A."