Borussia Dortmund: Leonardo Balerdi makes Marseille move permanent
Borussia Dortmund have confirmed the permanent exit of Leonardo Balerdi, with the defender joining French side Olympique Marseille on a five year contract.
It had long been known that Leonardo Balerdi would be joining Olympique Marseille on a permanent transfer this summer. Now the news has finally been confirmed by Borussia Dortmund. The Black and Yellows will receive a transfer fee of 11 million euros plus bonuses for the 22 year old. The transfer marks the end of Balerdi’s forgettable two year stint at the Signal Iduna Park.
Balerdi joined Borussia Dortmund from Boca Juniors in January 2019. But he wasn’t able to break into the starting XI, and was limited to just eight first-team appearances. His only start for BVB came in the 4-0 defeat to TSG Hoffenheim on the final day of the 2019/20 season.
Balerdi then joined Olympique Marseille on a season long loan deal last summer, where he made 25 appearances across all competitions. He became a regular starter for Marseille following the arrival of Jorge Sampaoli as head coach. And his performances prompted the French side to make the loan move permanent. The Argentine international has now signed a contract with Marseille that will keep him at the club until the end of the 2025/26 season.
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Balerdi becomes the fourth player to leave Borussia Dortmund this summer, following Lukasz Piszczek, Jeremy Toljan and Sergio Gomez. Jadon Sancho is also set to seal a move to Manchester United in the coming weeks, with a deal already agreed between the two clubs. Roman Bürki, Nico Schulz, Marius Wolf and Immanuel Pherai are also free to leave BVB this summer.