Ricardo Pepi joins Augsburg from FC Dallas

has joined the Bundesliga side,

, with an €18 million contract at the age of 18, leaving

where he had proved himself as an important part of the team in a situation that big European clubs like

Liverpool

and

Bayern Munich

had shown interest in signing him.

The USA international completed his medical tests at Augsburg on Monday and signed a deal that will commit him to Augsburg until 2026 and has an option to keep the player at the club for another year.

The 18-year-old expressed his delight after sealing the switch to Augsburg Arena, telling the club's official website:

“It was my dream to move to Europe after the last MLS season.

"I see FC Augsburg and the Bundesliga as the perfect environment to be able to collect a lot of match practice at the highest level as a young player.

“It was impressive how much the people in charge tried to help me. So from the very first moment, I had a really good feeling that Augsburg was exactly the right club for me.

"I'm looking forward to my new colleagues and would like to join the team as soon as possible and can hardly wait for it to start."

The club’s director of sport has also talked about the matter, insisting that Pepi’s move is a big step for them and that they are optimistic about the future of the player.

Augsburg's managing director of sport Stefan Reuter added:

"We are delighted that Ricardo has decided to move to FCA despite the interest of numerous top international clubs.

"We were able to show him a clear sporting perspective for his further development, which convinced him.

"We are convinced that he will continue to develop in Augsburg and that we will all have a lot of fun together in the years to come."

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