It’s now official: Lena Oberdorf will leave VfL Wolfsburg in the summer and join FC Bayern for a record transfer fee.
German national footballer Lena Oberdorf will move from VfL Wolfsburg to long-time rivals FC Bayern in the summer. The 22-year-old is making use of a contractually stipulated release clause, as the Lower Saxony club confirmed on Thursday. Her contract with the DFB Cup winner actually ran until 2025. The Gevelsberg native signed a contract with Bayern until June 30, 2028.
The two clubs did not disclose the transfer fee. The Sport Bild had speculated in the past few days about a transfer fee of between 200,000 and 250,000 euros, while the Wolfsburger Allgemeine Zeitung even reported a figure of more than 400,000 euros. Either way, it is likely to be the most expensive transfer in the history of the Women’s Bundesliga.
But worldwide, that’s peanuts. Zambian international Racheal Kundananji is currently the most expensive footballer in history. The 23-year-old is moving from Spanish first division club Madrid CFF to the new team Bay FC from San Jose in the US professional league NWSL for a base transfer fee of 735,000 euros, which could rise to 810,000 euros with a bonus.
“I had good talks with head coach Alexander Straus and department head Bianca Rech and I really liked the club’s vision of what it wants to achieve in the next few years,” said Oberdorf. ‘They also showed me where my potential lies and what more can be gotten out of me.’
Oberdorf is considered one of the best midfielders in the world and was also sought after by foreign clubs. She joined Wolfsburg from SGS Essen in 2020 and has already played 44 internationals. At the 2022 European Championships in England, she was named best young player. Last year, Oberdorf struggled with her form and injuries at times. As her successor in Wolfsburg, the VW club has already signed Janina Minge from league rivals SC Freiburg for the new season.
It’s interesting to note that Oberdorf was already courted by Bayern when she was a teenager in Essen, but decided on Wolfsburg at the time – because she found the club “more appealing,” as she told Spiegel at the time. When asked about the well-known Bayern song by the Toten Hosen (“I would never go to FC Bayern Munich”), she told Sport Bild before the 2022 European Championships: “Yes, sure, I know it! I can’t imagine going to Bayern either.”
The 22-year-old from Gevelsberg in the Ruhr area added, referring to her sympathies for Schalke 04: ‘Even when Bayern played against Dortmund, I was more for Dortmund. That says it all, doesn’t it?’