WOLFSBURG, Germany (AP) — Wolfsburg signed United States defender John Anthony Brooks for a reported fee of 20 million euros ($22.4 million) from Bundesliga rival Hertha Berlin on Wednesday, a record transfer for an American player.
The fee eclipses the reported $13 million paid by Premier League club Sunderland for striker Jozy Altidore in 2013 from AZ Alkmaar.
Wolfsburg, which only escaped relegation through a playoff, said Brooks would get a contract through 2022.
“The decision to leave my hometown wasn’t easy,” Brooks said in a statement. “But after talks with (Wolfsburg sporting director) Olaf Rebbe and (coach) Andries Jonker I really wanted to switch to Wolfsburg because they were both able to convince me quickly of their plans.