Borussia Dortmund defender Manuel Akanji set to leave the club this summer
Multiple reports claim that there is little to no chance Manuel Akanji will sign a new contract with Borussia Dortmund and will therefore depart in the summer.
It seems like the speculation surrounding Manuel Akanji’s future as a Borussia Dortmund player has finally come to an end. The Swiss international looks set to leave Borussia Dortmund in the summer, per RN and BILD.
According to the two reports, it would seem that the Black and Yellows are looking to get a fee in the region of 30 million euros for the defender with Manchester United interested in signing him. Akanji initially joined Dortmund in January of 2018. The Swiss international will have completed four and a half seasons with Dortmund come this summer.
Over the course of his time with Dortmund, Akanji has been a very polarizing defender both with regards to his performances and injury issues. The club have however witnessed the best of him over the course of the last year and a half, where Akanji became one of Dortmund’s strongest defensive performers.
According to multiple sources, Borussia Dortmund have tried everything to this point to have Akanji extend, but it seems like the player is set on finding pastures new. With the income Dortmund will bring in from his sale, they will look to bring in a player of equal, if not greater quality.
The name that has been most mentioned over these last few months is none other than Nico Schlotterbeck, who currently plays of SC Freiburg. Schlotterbeck has been having an impeccable season and has caught the attention of many clubs, but Dortmund may now push to sign the German international to partner the already incoming Niklas Süle.
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While in one sense it is unfortunate that Borussia Dortmund were unable to convince Akanji, whose performances have been consistently improving, it of course never makes sense for a club to keep a player against their will. Dortmund are in need of fresh talent in defense regardless to shake things up across their back-line. In losing Akanji, Dortmund have a chance to build a fresh defensive pairing that could become the cornerstone of successful defensive displays for years to come.