The Hard Tackle brings you a complete roundup of this week’s latest transfer rumours surrounding Borussia Dortmund.
It has been a negative week for the Black and Yellows, who were knocked out of the DFB Cup by Werder Bremen in a fascinating encounter that saw the northern giants secure a 3-2 victory. It was followed by an equally devastating 4-3 defeat at the hands of Bayer Leverkusen.
So, despite the arrival of Emre Can and Erling Haaland, Dortmund are likely to scour the market for new players. And here, The Hard Tackle’s new series on Borussia Dortmund returns this week with some of the latest transfer news and rumours flying around the Ruhrpott.
Without further ado, let us follow the same routine of dividing this round-up into two parts – arrivals and departures. But, if you are new to this series, you can take a look at the previous week edition of this Borussia Dortmund transfer round-up here.
Arrivals
It seems that the Borussia Dortmund officials have finally identified that their real problem lies in defence. Having brought in Can in January, they are constantly searching for more defensive reinforcements in the market.
This week, respected football journalist Nicolo Schira has claimed that a Dortmund scout was present during the game between Juventus and Hellas Verona in order to keep an eye on Marash Kumbulla. The 20-year-old defender starred in Verona’s sensational 2-1 win over the Italian champions.
It wasn’t his first great performance as the youngster has been one of the rising stars in Serie A this season. Therefore, it is no wonder that Manchester City scouts were also present while earlier this month, Chelsea were keeping an eye on him against AS Roma.
Moreover, Kumbulla is courted by Italian clubs like Inter Milan and Napoli, who had reportedly submitted a €20 million plus bonuses bid for the defender. Meanwhile, Wolfsberger AC’s Shon Weissmann is dreaming of a move to Borussia Dortmund.
The Israeli centre-forward was linked with a move away from Austria in January, but he did not find any of the offers attractive enough. “A move to Dortmund, in the attack together with Haaland – that would be something,” Weissman told Kronen-Zeitung(via Wetterauer Zeitung).
However, the 23-year-old is currently focusing on reaching Europe with Wolfsberger, who are fourth in the league table. Weissman could be an interesting buy for Dortmund in the summer as he can provide the much-needed alternative for Haaland. He could also be available for a relatively cheaper fee as he is yet to play in any of Europe’s top five leagues.
Departure
Borussia Dortmund’s sporting director Michael Zorc has stated that the club will try their best to keep hold of Achraf Hakimi, even though they don’t have any control over the situation. The Moroccan international has enjoyed impressive growth at BVB, but he is set to return to Santiago Bernabeu when his loan deal expires at the end of the season.
“We will have talks with Real Madrid in the next few weeks. The decision is not up to us, but Achraf’s great development has, of course, not been hidden from anyone in Spain either. He feels very comfortable with us. They [Real Madrid] know that we would like to keep him,” Zorc told Sport Bild (via Goal).
Another player whose future at Dortmund remains uncertain is Jadon Sancho. Former Bundesliga star and current media profession Jan Aage Fjortoft has claimed that the Black and Yellows are ready to offload the English international in the summer, with Liverpool still very keen on securing his services.
However, the Bundesliga giants have slapped a €150 million price-tag on Sancho, which could worry the Reds. Although given the calibre of the player, it will not be hard for Dortmund to find potential suitors for their prized attacker in the summer.
And finally, the future of Lucien Favre has come under scrutiny following two successive defeats this month. However, Bild (via @Ballzirkulation) reports that the departure of the Swiss coach is not imminent as Borussia Dortmund do not have any viable candidates to replace him at the moment.
Favre, though, could face the axe even before the end of the season if he fails to guide the team back to winning ways. Moreover, it seems that the board is not confident that the club will find any sporting success under the ex-Borussia Monchengladbach boss. Therefore, it will be interesting to see what the future holds for Favre.