Mario Gomez to Fiorentina: Viola and Bayern Munich Agree in Principle on Deal

Bayern Munich may normally make big noise bringing in stars, but on Monday the club announced it has lost one, as striker Mario Gomez has officially been transferred to Fiorentina.  

From Bayern Munich's website (translated):

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Bayern have agreed in principle with Fiorentina to a transfer of its player, Mario Gomez. On Monday, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, CEO of FCB, met with the President of Fiorentina, Andrea Della Valle. In the coming days, the contracts will be finalized and signed. 

"It was the desire of Mario Gomez to leave Bayern Munich to Florence. We have now complied with his wish," said Rummenigge.

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Gomez started just nine league games for Bayern Munich last season and only 13 games in all competitions (though he did make 32 total appearances), as Mario Mandzukic (22 starts) and Claudio Pizarro (seven starts) ate away at his first-team chances. 

However, Gomez did miss the first three months of the season, which also limited his appearances.

He was pretty effective when he did play, scoring 19 goals and adding three assists overall. With that being said, this season was a far cry from his last two seasons for Bayern, when he combined to score 79 goals in all competitions. 

It remains to be seen if he'll pair with Stevan Jovetic atop Fiorentina's attack, as the talented forward has been rumored to be on the move this summer. Still, if Jovetic remains, the Viola will boast one of the most dangerous attacking pairs in Serie A next season. 

It's more likely that Gomez was brought aboard to ease the blow of Jovetic's departure. And if he can replicate his form from 2010 to 2012, he'll do that and then some. 

Fiorentina finished just outside of Champions League qualification in 2013, as the team ended the season fourth on the table, just two points behind AC Milan. The hope is that a scorer of Gomez's quality can vault the team to a top-three finish next season. 

Seeing as the team's top Serie A scorer was Jovetic with 13 goals in 31 starts—remember, Gomez had 11 Bundesliga goals in just nine starts—Gomez could be the final piece for Fiorentina's Champions League bid.