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Bayern Munich right-back Willy Sagnol has spoken of his excitement at having agreed a deal to join Juventus in the summer.
The France international was strongly rumoured to be on the verge of making the switch, but his comments in Saint-Etienne club magazine La Gazzette des Verts are the first real confirmation that he is on his way to Turin.
"Above all, Juventus are a very big team with players who are highly respected, like at Bayern," he said. "The Italian championship has always attracted me and they have that winning culture I don't want to lose.
"I want to lift more important trophies and play alongside great players. There are also a number of French players at Juventus who will help me to adapt.
"Plus, I can't wait to work with a Coach as distinguished as Fabio Capello. I'm going to come across new tactics and new training methods which will help my game and boost my performances."
The former Saint-Etienne and Monaco defender says he was offered the captaincy if he stayed at Bayern, but was determined not to go through the same experience that followed the Bundesliga outfit's 2001 Champions' League win.
"We had to totally rebuild the team because several players left, including Stefan Effenberg," he said. "Bayern are at a turning-point again and a lot of players are out-of-contract or want to go.
"The club are counting on me but I have other ambitions."
Among those about to follow him out the door, Sagnol claimed that Michael Ballack will join Real Madrid, Bixente Lizarazu will retire and both Oliver Kahn and Claudio Pizarro will move to Japan.
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