Football United

Hamburger SV have signed Vincent Kompany from RSC Anderlecht while allowing Daniel Van Buyten to leave to join their Bundesliga rivals FC Bayern München.

Putative move
The 28-year-old Belgian international central defender Van Buyten will travel to Munich for medical tests in the next few days with a view to completing an estimated €12m transfer to the German champions. The former R. Charleroi SC and Olympique de Marseille player is expected to sign a four-year contract at the Olympiastadion.

'Positive headlines'
Meanwhile, Hamburg have announced that Van Buyten's replacement will be his Belgian international team-mate Kompany, who will join the club for a reported €8m, with his original contract with the Brussels club having been due to expire in 2010. "The Hamburg management have given me a good feeling," Kompany said. "I want to make positive headlines with the team in the Bundesliga and in Europe."

European debut
The 20-year-old Kompany was Belgium's Player of the Year in 2004. The Anderlecht academy graduate started to shine at the age of 17, making his UEFA Champions League debut against AFC Rapid Bucuresti at the start of the 2003/04 season and quickly being marked out as a major star of the future. The defender played 71 league matches in three seasons at Anderlecht and has made 14 senior international appearances for Belgium. However, the 2005/06 campaign proved to be a difficult one for Kompany as back problems and a shoulder injury that required surgery limited his chances for club and country.

Source: uefa.com