Chelsea may exercise the option to recall 20-year-old Argentine defender Aaron Anselmino from his loan stint with Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund in January.
According to a report by Sky Deutschland reporter Patrick Berger, Aaron Anselmino may not have a long-term future at Borussia Dortmund. The 20-year-old defensive sensation completed a season-long loan move to the Bundesliga club in the summer transfer window after Chelsea ruled that he would not receive regular game time in the 2025/26 season.
However, Chelsea included a conditional recall option in the loan agreement with Borussia Dortmund, which they can trigger if he does not complete a set number of appearances for the German outfit. So, the Black and Yellows may lose the South American defender’s services midway through the 2025/26 season.
How has Aaron Anselmino fared at Borussia Dortmund?
Aaron Anselmino is one of several dozen highly-rated prodigies to join Chelsea since BlueCo took over the West London club from Roman Abramovich a few years ago. However, unlike prospects like Angelo Gabriel, Deivid Washington, and Cesare Casadei, the 20-year-old has captured the imagination of the decision-makers at Stamford Bridge, even though his loan stint with Borussia Dortmund has been frustrating.
The Argentine defensive sensation has managed only nine outings thus far for the Bundesliga giants, amassing only 565 minutes of game time. With the loan move not working as well as he would have liked, Anselmino may return to Chelsea in the winter transfer window.
What next?
While Aaron Anselmino made a promising start for Borussia Dortmund, the Bundesliga giants have not handed him regular game time. However, recent reports have claimed that the Black and Yellows are contemplating a permanent deal after the youngster’s loan ends.
That may not be possible, as Chelsea’s loan agreement with Borussia Dortmund contains a clause which the West London club can trigger to recall him to Stamford Bridge if he does not reach “a previously defined minimum number of playing minutes in the black and yellow jersey” in the first half of the 2025/26 season.
With Chelsea scouring the market for a centre-back heading into the winter transfer window, recalling Anselmino may be the right call. Like Trevoh Chalobah in the 2025/26 season, the 20-year-old Argentine defender could become an asset in the second half of the ongoing campaign.