Berlin (AFP) – Goalkeeper Marwin Hitz joined Borussia Dortmund on a free transfer on Saturday having made himself unavailable for the World Cup finals with Switzerland.
Hitz was out of contract at Augsburg and will rival fellow Swiss Roman Buerki to play in goal for Dortmund, who qualified for the Champions League by finishing fourth in the Bundesliga.
“I wanted to experience something different,” said Hitz, who has signed a contract until 2021.
“I’m looking forward to the challenge of playing at such a big club and especially the Champions League games.”
Hitz will replace retired veteran Roman Weidenfeller, a 2014 World Cup winner with Germany, while Burki started 33 of Dortmund’s 34 Bundesliga games this season.
On Friday, the Swiss FA announced Hitz, 30, had made himself unavailable to coach Vladimir Petkovic for the World Cup finals in Russia, without giving any reasons.
Having made more than 150 Bundesliga appearances for Augsburg and VfL Wolfsburg, Hitz had been expected to travel to Russia alongside Buerki and Borussia Moenchengladbach’s Swiss keeper Yann Sommer.
The Swiss open their World Cup campaign against Brazil in Rostov on June 17 and will also face Serbia and Costa Rica in Group E.
