Tymoschuk Destined For Germany, Eventually

Bayern Munich general manager Uli Hoeness has confirmed a report by German newspaper Bild that the club has sealed the transfer of Ukrainian captain Anatoliy Tymoschuk. “We have agreed to personal terms with the player, as well as the transfer fee itself. It is not yet clear whether he will join the team in July or in April,” said Hoeness. According to Bild, Bayern will pay Zenit $14 million for the 29 year old midfielder, and have secured his services through 2012.

For his part Tymoschuk, ever the consummate professional, acknowledged talks with Bayern had progressed but refused to speculate on his future, insisting his focus remains in St. Petersburg. The long-rumored deal comes on the heels of the protracted sale of Russian international Andrei Arshavin to Arsenal. Zenit will face Bundesliga side Stuttgart in the UEFA Cup in two weeks time.

Meanwhile Tymoschuk will be headed to Cyprus to hold camp with the national team. Oleksiy Mykhaylichenko’s squad will take part in a four team tournament. Ukraine will square off against Slovakia on February 10, and depending on the outcome will face either the hosts or Serbia.

Mykhaylichenko invited two uncapped players to camp: Shakhtar goalkeeper Rustam Khudzhamov and Dnipro defender Pavlo Pashayev. The call-up must be a bittersweet moment for the 21 year old right back, who lost his twin brother and teammate Maksym Pashayev in a December car accident. Maksym was the captain of Ukraine’s U-21 squad.

Dnipro’s Ruslan Rotan is back on Mykhaylichenko’s radar and will be part of the squad headed to Cyprus. It has been a year since the midfielder last featured for the national team. Absent from the roster is Dynamo Kyiv keeper Stanyslav Bohush, who will stay with the club while he recovers from an abdominal injury. Teammate Oleksandr Shovkovskiy will take his place. The full roster for the Zhovto-Syni:

Goalkeepers: Andriy Pyatov, Khudzhamov (both – Shakhtar), Shovkovskiy (Dynamo).

Defenders: Dmytro Chyhrynsky, Olexandr Kucher (both – Shakhtar), Taras Mykhalyk, Andriy Nesmachniy (both – Dynamo), Vitaliy Mandzyuk (Arsenal Kyiv), Andriy Rusol, Pashaiv (both – Dnipro).

Midfielders: Maxym Kalynychenko, Serhiy Nazarenko, Rotan (all – Dnipro), Tymoschuk (Zenit FC, Russia), Valentyn Slyusar (Metalist), Yevhen Levchenko (Groningen, Netherlands), Serhiy Kravchenko, Oleksandr Aliyev (both – Dynamo).

Forwards: Andriy Voronin (Hertha BSC, Germany), Andriy Shevchenko (AC Milan, Italy), Marko Devic (Metalist), Volodymyr Homeniuk (Tavriya), Yevhen Selezniov (Shakhtar), Artem Milevskiy (Dynamo).