Axel Witsel confirms he will be leaving Borussia Dortmund at the end of the season

Axel Witsel has confirmed that he will be leaving Borussia Dortmund when his contract expires at the end of the season.

Axel Witsel has been one of Borussia Dortmund’s most-used players over the last four seasons. But his time at the club is about to come to an end, with his contract set to expire at the end of the season. The midfielder has now confirmed that he will be leaving BVB in the summer.

"“I’m very happy to have spent four years here playing at the highest level,” Witsel was quoted as saying by WAZ. “But I am sad to be leaving the club, I have many friends and great teammates here. I was here for four years, that’s a lot. But in the end, that’s the life of a footballer. I’m looking forward to the last game, but I’ll also be very sad.”"

Witsel joined Borussia Dortmund in 2018 from Chinese club Tianjin Quanjian and instantly established himself as one of the most important players in the team. He played a vital role in Dortmund’s title challenge in his first season, and also remained a crucial player for the team in his second season.

The Belgian international then suffered a torn achilles tendon injury in January 2021 and was forced to miss the rest of the season 2020/21 season. But he made a remarkable comeback from his injury at the European Championships last summer.

This season has been a difficult one for Witsel, but he has still been used quite regularly by Marco Rose. The 33 year old has made a total of 143 appearances since joining Borussia Dortmund, and 39 of them have come this season.

Witsel’s final game for Borussia Dortmund will be against Hertha BSC at the Signal Iduna Park in two weeks’ time. It remains to be seen where the defensive midfielder will play next season, but he has revealed that he will not be moving to Belgium just yet.