Borussia Dortmund defender Soumaïla Coulibaly joins Royal Antwerp
By Tushar Bahl
Soumaïla Coulibaly has completed a move away from Borussia Dortmund, with Belgian side Royal Antwerp signing him on a loan deal.
Young defender Soumaïla Coulibaly has joined Royal Antwerp on a loan deal, Borussia Dortmund have confirmed. The 19 year old wanted to leave the Black and Yellows this summer after failing to make his mark in the first team. The deal includes an option to make the signing permanent for a fee of around 12 million euros.
Coulibaly came close to joining newly promoted English Premier League side Burnley on an initial loan deal with an obligation to buy earlier this summer. But the proposed transfer collapsed at the eleventh hour after the two clubs failed to iron out a final agreement. Now the French centre-back is joining Royal Antwerp, where he will hope to make a fresh start and get regular playing time in the first-team.
Borussia Dortmund signed Soumaïla Coulibaly on a free transfer from Paris Saint Germain in 2021. He primarily featured for the U-23s and was limited to just two first-team appearances, with his last game for Edin Terzic’s side coming in the 3-3 draw against VfB Stuttgart.
Coulibaly becomes the second young defender to leave Borussia Dortmund this summer following Nnamdi Collins’ move to Eintracht Frankfurt.
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It is quite possible that Borussia Dortmund will look to sign a new centre-back this summer following Coulibaly’s move to Royal Antwerp. BVB only have three first-team central defenders in their ranks in Niklas Süle, Nico Schlotterbeck and Mats Hummels. Although Ramy Bensebaini and Emre Can are also capable of playing in the role.