Borussia Dortmund linked with moves for French duo

Borussia Dortmund are said to be interested in signing Amine Gouiri (OGC Nice) and Sofiane Diop (Monaco) as part of their summer restructuring.

Borussia Dortmund’s squad revamp seems ready to enter the next phase with two French players at the center of the most recent transfer speculation linked with the club. According to L’Équipe, Die Schwarzgelben may be interested in making a move for Amine Gouiri of OGC Nice and Sofiane Diop of AS Monaco.

Gouiri would be more in line with the Haaland replacement that Dortmund have been looking for. He is a much more tactically flexible forward and could potentially form a fluid front three with Karim Adeyemi and Donyell Malen. The three players would be able to interchange their positions far more flexibly.

This would of course not only be a statement in terms of how Dortmund plan to play under Edin Terzić, but a stark deviation from the type of forward Dortmund have been seemingly leaning towards since Haaland’s departure. Sébastien Haller and Saša Kalajdžić have been heavily linked with moves to Dortmund, and both certainly fit the bill of a stronger, more physical striker.

Gouiri, on the other hand, relies far more on his own creativity, agility and speed to create chances not only for himself, but for his teammates as well. His tally for this season was 12 goals and 10 assists in all competitions over the course of 43 games. The assists, coupled with his ability to dribble past opponents and his propensity to drive the ball forward and involve his teammates would make him a formidable force to be reckoned with, should Dortmund look to bring him into the fold.

When looking at Diop, The AS Monaco midfielder finished the season with 7 goals and 5 assists over 37 appearances in all competitions. He is able to play as a midfielder and a winger, which would add some additional versatility to Dortmund’s lineup. He excels in progressive passes and dribbling, which could bring much needed creativity out wide for Dortmund.

While Dortmund already have the funds and plans to bring in a new striker, Gouiri’s valuation of $46.2 million would be quite a lot for them to spend after spending almost as much on Karim Adeyemi not too long ago. The price would either have to be under this valuation, or additional sales may be necessary to secure his services.

Diop’s valuation on the other hand is closer to $22 million, but would require the sale of players to make room in the squad for his arrival. Ruhr Nachrichten have recently reported that the purchase of Diop is very unlikely however, so reported interest will have to be taken with a grain of salt for now.

While it’s uncertain if either transfer will actually manifest, it will be very interesting to follow Borussia Dortmund’s activity in the transfer market as they seek creative solutions that will help revamp their squad.