Ribery sticks with Bayern

Ribery (pictured above right) signed his long-expected contract extension on Thursday, saying in a statement released by the club: "I'm delighted to be staying in Munich, I'd promised it to the fans and now the contract is signed."

"For my family and myself, Bayern Munich has become a second home and I'm sure that in the coming years we'll win another trophy or two and defend them," Ribery said.

Ribery, 30, joined Bayern from Marseille for 25 million euros in 2007. He has since helped the Bavarian club to three Bundesliga titles and three German Cups. This past season he was a key part of Bayern's first ever treble, as the club took home league, cup and Champions League honors.

The Frenchman had recently told "Bild" newspaper he had no intention to leave Bayern and was even thinking of a testimonial match.

"Why should I go elsewhere where I might be unhappy? If I finish here one day I want to go like a 'great statesman' with a goodbye match like Mehmet Scholl," Ribery said, referring to the former Germany international who spent fifteen years with Bayern.

Ribery scored 10 goals and set up 15 more in 27 Bundesliga games this season. He also scored five goals in the Champions League.

He joins a number of Bayern stars who are tied down to long-term contracts, including Thomas Müller, Holger Badstuber and Javier Martinez (all until 2017), as well as Manuel Neuer, Philipp Lahm, Dante, Mario Mandzukic and Bastian Schweinsteiger (all until 2016).

Another year for Van Buyten

The 35-year-old Van Buyten also signed a one-year extension. The Belgian center back had a strong finish to the season after injuries to Badstuber and Jerome Boateng opened up more playing time.

Time on the pitch could be tough for Van Buyten come next season with the added addition of Jan Kirchhoff from Mainz. However, Badstuber is expected to miss a portion of the campaign as he recovers from a cruciate ligament tear.

"We are delighted to have kept two key players with us," Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said in a statement. "Franck and Daniel were outstanding in the past season and we counted on them to make the difference in the crucial games."

As the news comes of extensions for Ribery and Van Buyten, another player may be out the door at Säbener Strasse. Mario Gomez is rumored to be making a move to Italian champions Napoli. His adviser Uli Ferber told "kicker" magazine Thursday that Gomez and Bayern are on track to "split up."

Gomez has scored an impressive 113 goals in 174 competitive matches for Bayern since joining in 2009, but became second choice striker to Mandzukic this season.

dr/slk (AFP, Reuters, dpa, SID)