Bayern Munich pay MLS record fee for Ghanaian-born teenager

Bayern Munich have signed Vancouver Whitecaps teenager Alphonso Davies for $13m (£9.84m) - a record fee paid for a Major League Soccer player.

The amount could rise to $22m (£16.66m) for the 17-year-old Canada international, who will join Bayern in January after the MLS season.

"As a kid, I always dreamed of a moment like this," said Davies, who signed a five-year deal with the German club.

"Now that the dream has come true, the work continues as always."

Davies was born in a refugee camp in Ghana in 2000 after his parents fled fighting in the second Liberian civil war. His family then moved to Canada as refugees when the player was five years old.

He joined the Whitecaps youth set-up in 2015 at the age of 14, before making his MLS debut a year later. Davies became a citizen of Canada in June 2017 and soon after became the youngest player to feature for the national team when he played against Curacao at 16.

The forward's stature grew further when he was selected for Canada's Concacaf Gold Cup squad and finished the tournament as joint top-scorer with three goals.

"This is a landmark transfer for our club, country, and league," said Whitecaps co-owner Jeff Mallett.

"Alphonso is an inspirational example of what is possible, and we are excited about how this transfer showcases our commitment to homegrown players for our club and country."

The previous record fee for an MLS player was $11.6m (£8.78m) which Spanish club Villarreal paid New York Red Bulls for striker Jozy Altidore in June 2008.