Borussia Dortmund's love for young talents is well-known. It's been the club's long-standing policy to rope in up-and-coming starlets and develop them into world-class prospects.
While it's risky on paper, the club's phenomenal scouting program means it has bore fruits more often than not although last season was a different story.
Many of Dortmund's young signings last summer failed to prove their worth, with Fabio Silva and Yan Couto disappointing and loanee Aaron Anselmino spending much of the season's first half on the sidelines with an injury before Chelsea recalled him in January.
Latest reports suggest Dortmund are going for another young player this summer, having identified a promising defender from Portugal after a great 2025-26 season.
Dortmund submit bid for teenager
According to Record, the BVB have submitted a formal bid worth €12 million for FC Alverca defender Bastien Meupiyou with up to €5 million in add-ons. It further stated that the Bundesliga giants had been monitoring the teenager since January this year.
After coming through the ranks at Nantes youth side, Meupiyou joined Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2024, where he failed to break into their senior team. Another transfer beckoned, and the teenager joined Alverca in Portugal, where he finally excelled last season.
The Paris-born player played 30 games for them in the Portuguese top-flight to become a household name at the club and could be on the move again this summer with several European clubs reportedly chasing his services.
Wolves have a buy-back clause in his contract but following their relegation, they could look to cash-in on the 50 per cent sell-on fee that was negotiated earlier on. Moreover, the young gun is represented by Jorge Mendes, who currently has a client at BVB in Karim Adeyemi.
BVB taking risk with an untested quantity
Given Dortmund's failed experiments last season, the club should approach every transfer rather cautiously as the side aims to pose a serious challenge for trophies on all fronts to end their five-year drought.
Meupiyou just wrapped-up his first full-season as a professional and is still untested in Europe's mightier leagues such as the Bundesliga. Plus, there's the question of other defenders in the squad.
BVB have just signed Joane Gadou from Red Bull Salzburg while Nico Schlotterbeck signed a contract extension with Dortmund earlier this year. However, with a release clause in it, questions still persist over his future.
Niklas Sule's departure has opened up a place while Emre Can's persistent injuries have made him unreliable. But it paved the way for Luca Reggiani to come to the fore as the Italian impressed enough to start regularly next season onwards.
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