So far this season, it doesn’t seem to be going that well from a sporting perspective for Dortmund’s recently sold or loaned attacking players. Paris Brunner has had very little time on the pitch since joining AS Monaco and being loaned out to Cercle Brugge, and Sébastien Haller has had little impact at Leganés in La Liga.
Arguably the most high-profile departure this summer was Youssoufa Moukoko, who’s agent made it painstakingly clear that the young German striker wanted to leave this summer after not being offered minutes under then-head coach Edin Terzić. The move to OGC Nice was meant to be a new start for Moukoko, but his start to life in Ligue 1 has been sub-optimal at best.
As of writing, Moukoko’s record with Nice stands at two goals and one assist in six Ligue 1 appearances. He also has a further assist in four Europa League appearances. These numbers, along with his underlying stats suggest that he isn’t doing all that bad, but a lack of game time seems to follow Moukoko wherever he goes.
According to reports, it is now likely that Nice won’t trigger the 18 million euro release clause in their loan deal with Dortmund, putting Dortmund into a bit of an awkward situation. Moukoko’s contract expires in the summer of 2026, meaning it’s more than likely that Die Schwarzgelben will look to get a transfer fee for the player this summer; a fee that could very much be substantially lower than what one would expect for a player of Moukoko’s caliber.
Moukoko’s lack of minutes doesn’t help in this regard, as possibly interested clubs will likely look to negotiate the fee down even further. Unless there is a stark uptick in Moukoko’s form that makes Nice reconsider or piques the interest of other clubs, Dortmund may be looking down the barrel of a significant financial loss at the cost of a player who otherwise could have been the standard bearer for their academy had he been given more time and trust by the club.