Bayern to release Kufuor

MUNICH, Germany -- Bundesliga champion Bayern Munich will release Sammy Kuffour and four other players at the end of the season.

Defenders Robert Kovac and Thomas Linke, plus forwards Vahid Hashemian and Alexander Zickler will leave the club, Bayern said Wednesday.

It did not say if the players had found new clubs, but Kovac has been linked with Juventus.

The Bundesliga season has two more rounds, but Bayern also plays Schalke in the German Cup final on May 28 in Berlin.

Defender Philipp Lahm, who was on loan to Stuttgart, is returning next season, and Bayern has signed Iran international Ali Karimi.

Linke, Kuffour and Zickler were members of Bayern's team that won the Champions League in 2001.

The contracts of all players, except Hashemian, expire at the end of the season. Hashemian arrived in Bayern last summer and has a contract until 2007.

Bayern wants to limit its roster in the future to 22 players.