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New Zealand footballer Sarpreet Sigh is all set to become the first Indian-origin player to play in the Bundesliga if his deal with Bayern Munich breaks through. According to German newspaper Bild (H/T: Onefootball), the Wellington Phoenix striker is already in Munich and will finalize a three-year deal that the club wanted to keep under wraps.
Newshub, a prominent New Zealand-based news website, further adds that it will result in his parent A-League club getting a transfer fee of $500,000. The Indian football fans will know Sarpreet better through his heroics in the 2018 Intercontinental Cup.
Representing New Zealand in the tournament, the 20-year-old scored a goal against Kenya and tormented the India side with his innate dribbling skills and fluid passing and crosses in the attacking third. The left-footer set up both the goals in that game as India lost the only match in the Intercontinental Cup 1-2.
Sarpreet first caught the eye of Bayern Munich officials as an 11-year-old while playing against one of their youth teams on a European trip. He has been on their radars since then and the deal is set to be finalized anytime soon.
Sarpreet, however, will not start off with Bayern Munich's first team. Instead, he will play for their reserve team in the third division of German football. The plan is to see him transition into their main team once the management feels he is ready for it.
Although he is just 20 years old, Sarpreet has a plethora of experience under his belt in senior football. He has made a total of 25 appearances in the A-League and scored five goals and bagged seven assists.
Sarpreet was also a part of the New Zealand squad that participated in the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup, wherein the All Whites reached the Round of 16 before bowing out to Colombia in penalties.
There are plenty of Indian-origin footballers plying their trade in Europe and the New Zealand youngster will be another addition to the list. Although FIFA allows a player to represent their parents or grandparents' ancestral country in international competitions, the Indian laws prohibit Sarpreet from doing so.
