Giannis Konstantelias flew into Germany on Sunday for his medical. Then the uproar started back home.
The PAOK ultras group Gate 4 came out publicly against the move. Supporters went to the club president's office and asked for a meeting. More gathered outside the ground. Bulinews reported that a few even waited for him in Dortmund. The idea was to talk him round.
Sound familiar? It probably should.
VfB Stuttgart got this far with the same player last summer. Owner Ivan Savvidis cancelled it. Konstantelias signed a new deal to 2029 and stayed exactly where he was.
The case for it falling apart again
Money isn't the sticking point. Kicker has the guaranteed fee at €25m to €27m. Bonuses could take the package past €30m.
Savvidis is the sticking point. He bowed to this exact pressure once already. Nothing about Sunday suggests the mood in Thessaloniki has cooled.
Gate 4 got their way in 2025. Why would they back off now?
Why the Black and Yellows should still get it done
Two things have changed. Konstantelias actually travelled this time, which he never did during the Stuttgart saga. A player who boards the plane has usually made his choice.
Dortmund's hand is stronger too. Sporting director Nils-Ole Book told reporters after the Roma friendly that the money set aside for Said El Mala is still sitting there. He hinted heavily at more than one arrival.
BVB Buzz has already argued that the El Mala collapse might do die Borussen a favour. Sunday is what that looks like in practice.
Then there's the football. FotMob's Super League record for him reads eight goals from 24 games, at 7.18 a match. Add 27 chances created on top of that, per FotMob. So he's a creator, not a touchline winger.
Where does he actually play, though? Attacking midfield is where FotMob lists him first. Left wing and striker sit behind that.
Awkward. Konstantinos Karetsas already lives in that pocket. His goal on debut against Arsenal will be very fresh in the minds of BVB fans.
Then Niko Kovac would be picking between two players who want the same role behind Serhou Guirassy.
That isn't a headache for the coaching staff. That's the kind of depth the Südtribüne has been asking for since Karim Adeyemi and Julian Brandt walked out of the door.
There is one caution worth flagging. Greece's top flight is not the Bundesliga. Eight league goals there won't translate one for one. Karetsas came from Belgium and settled inside a fortnight, though, so the club clearly trusts its scouting in these markets.
Verdict: about €30m for a 23-year-old Greece international with a Super League title behind him is sharp business, so BVB should get the ink dry before Thessaloniki finds its voice again.
Likelihood: Put this one at around 90%. The medical is booked and the player has flown. Only one man in Greece can stop it now.
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