Borussia Dortmund rumor roundup: Witsel, Martial, Pulisic, Weigl, Schürrle
By Tushar Bahl
With preseason now in full swing, transfer rumors are rife with players being linked with moves to and away from Borussia Dortmund.
Borussia Dortmund have been very busy in the transfer window so far and are showing no signs of stopping just yet. So let us take a look at all of today’s transfer rumors.
Axel Witsel
Borussia Dortmund’s interest in Axel Witsel came out of nowhere, but now it seems that the club are closing in on his signature. According to RMC journalist Sacha Tavolieri, the Black and Yellows are close to signing the Belgium international for a fee of 20 million euros.
Witsel currently plays for Chinese club Tianjin Quanjian and earns an yearly wage of 18 million euros. He will have to take a pay cut in order to sign for Der BVB.
It remains to be seen if the source is legit and the deal is actually close to completion. Witsel does not fit the profile of a typical Dortmund signing, but signing him would be a great signal of intent by Borussia Dortmund.
Anthony Martial
According to Sky Sports, Borussia Dortmund are interested in signing the wantaway Manchester United attacker. They are set to face competition from Chelsea and Bayern Munich for his services. Manchester United are demanding 100 million euros for Martial and it’s very unlikely that Dortmund can afford him, unless it’s a swap deal involving a Dortmund player.
Martial is undoubtedly an excellent player on his day, but there are concerns about his attitude and adaptability. Having faced similar problems with Ousmane Dembele and Pierre Emerick Aubameyang in the past few years, Dortmund might be better off looking elsewhere.
Andre Schurrle
Moving on to potential exits and it looks like Andre Schürrle is heading back to England. The winger left Dortmund’s preseason of the United States to return to Germany in order to hold talks with other clubs. According to multiple reports in England, Premier League side Fulham have made contact with Borussia Dortmund for his signature.
Crystal Palace also hold an interest in signing Schürrle, as do Italian club Lazio. Borussia Dortmund are desperate to sell Schürrle, just two years after breaking their transfer record to sign him. It’s unlikely that Andre Schürrle will be a Borussia Dortmund player when the transfer window slams shut at the end of August.
Julian Weigl
According to BILD, Borussia Dortmund are prepared to let Julian Weigl leave for PSG if they get a bid of 50 million euros. Former Dortmund manager Thomas Tuchel reportedly wants to reunite with Weigl but the 22 year old will not come cheap.
Weigl is currently out with an adductor injury. He had an underwhelming campaign last season, but was misused by the two Dortmund managers. The Black and Yellows have already added Thomas Delaney to their midfield this season, and as stated earlier, they are interested in signing Axel Witsel.
The report says that if Dortmund manage to sign Axel Witsel, they will allow Weigl to depart, provided PSG meet their valuation of 50 million euros.
Christian Pulisic
On the back of his impressive performances in Dortmund’s preseason tour, Christian Pulisic has become a target for Real Madrid. According to DailyMail, the Los Blancos have made enquiries for the American international. Madrid are looking to replace Cristiano Ronaldo, who left for Juventus and will look to use their good relationship with the BVB bosses to sign Pulisic.
Next: Borussia Dortmund's ten best transfers from the past decade
Pulisic is also a target for Chelsea and Bayern Munich, but it’s unlikely that he will leave Borussia Dortmund this summer. It’s unlikely that Pulisic will get as much playing time and support at other big clubs and Dortmund is the best place to be for the 19 year old at this stage of his career.