Munich, Aug 23 (IANS) FC Bayern Munich, the defending champions of 2020/21 Bundesliga, announced on Monday that Joshua Kimmich has extended his contract with the club till 2025. The 26-year-old mid-fielder had joined Bayern Munich from VfB Stuttgart in the summer of 2015, following a successful loan spell at RB Leipzig.

Since then, he has established himself as one of the club's most important players, amassing 264 appearances with 73 assists and scoring 30 goals. In this period, Bayern have won six Bundesliga titles, three DFB Cups, the Champions League, five DFL Supercups, the FIFA Club World Cup and the UEFA Super Cup.

In that period, Kimmich has won 59 senior international caps for Germany, scoring three goals. His recent international appearance was as a member of Germany's squad reaching the pre-quarterfinals in Euro 2020.

"The most important reason for my contract extension is that I can pursue my passion with joy every day here at FC Bayern. I have a team where I can achieve everything, and a lot of teammates have become real friends. That's why I started playing football in the first place, because it should be fun. I still don't think I'm at the end of my development and I'm convinced there's a lot possible at FC Bayern in the next years. On top of that, my family feels at home here. Munich has become a second home. The combination we have here isn't found all over the world," said Kimmich in a statement.

The 2021/22 season will be Kimmich's seventh outing with FC Bayern Munich. In the club's latest outing at the Allianz Arena, he featured in a 3-2 win over Koln on Sunday.