(REUTERS) - Borussia Dortmund have signed Germany central defender Niklas Sule on a four-year deal from Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich, the club said in a statement on Monday (Feb 7).

The 26-year-old will move to Dortmund on a free transfer after his contract at Bayern expires in the summer.

Sule, capped 37 times by the German national team, has made 159 appearances for Bayern since joining from Hoffenheim in 2017, winning four league titles and the Champions League in 2019-20.

"We are pleased that we were able to sign a German national player in Niklas Sule and retain him for four years," said Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc.

Sule was linked with a number of clubs, including Chelsea, Newcastle United and Barcelona after reportedly rejecting a new deal at Bayern.

Dortmund, who trail leaders Bayern by nine points after 21 games, travel to Union Berlin on Sunday, while Bayern take on VfL Bochum a day earlier.