News summary
Joey Veerman was training at Brackel by Tuesday lunchtime, hours after Dortmund confirmed his transfer from PSV. Veerman takes the number 25 shirt on a deal to June 2031.
Lars Ricken explained at the presentation that Dortmund have lost two central midfielders since January and will use Emre Can at centre-back this season. Nils-Ole Book called Veerman a signing of technique and vision.
"Borussia Dortmund is a big club in Europe and I am proud to now be part of this club," Veerman told reporters on Tuesday evening.
Asked about his position, Veerman said he hits the long passes at six and gets nearer goal at eight. He played one Eredivisie game this season before Kovac got him.
Enzo Duarte spent preseason training with Kovac's first team and did not look out of place, so a long professional contractis expected this week. Duarte is 17.
Luxembourg have capped Duarte five times, and Sky now has him at the top of Dortmund's internal talent ranking.
Amine Lettifi arrived at the academy the same afternoon from US Lesquin, a small French club well outside the big production pipeline. Thomas Broich runs the youth setup.
"He didn't come from one of the big academies and has made his own way," Broich said of the signing.
Broich's colleagues upstairs have a less cheerful week, because Arsenal have opened talks in London about chief scout Sebastian Krug. Newcastle got there first.
Bayern Munich come to Dortmund on Saturday for the Supercup, kick off at 20:30.
Vincent Kompany has a fitness question of his own at Bayern. "Whether it's 90 minutes or 45 depends on how I feel this week," Harry Kane told reporters after his post-World Cup break.
Transfer news
Borussia Dortmund would sell Fabio Silva for twenty million euros. Betis and Real Sociedad have both been sounded out.
Dortmund paid Wolves 22.5m for Silva last summer.
Carney Chukwuemeka can go too on a decent offer, roughly what Chelsea once took for him.
That money has an obvious destination, because die Schwarzgelben have only around ten million put aside for a right-back and would rather not spend even that.
Hector Fort keeps coming back as the right-back they want, though Dortmund would sooner borrow him than buy. Fort himself is happy to move.
AS reported on Tuesday that Dortmund have asked about Angelo, and Al Nassr want 30m for him.
Christos Kostoglou heads the other way, out of Dortmund for no fee with a year left on his youth deal. PAOK have offered him three more.
Samuele Inacio came up in the same PAOK conversation, though Dortmund rate him far too highly.
An exit clause worth 21.5m got Veerman out of PSV in two days flat.
BVB Buzz opinion
Ten million euros does not buy a starting right-back.
Dortmund have been short at right-back since Yan Couto joined Como on loan, and the replacement was supposed to arrive weeks ago. Bayern turn up instead.
Fort would be a fine right-back at the right price. Barcelona have no reason to move quickly, and every week Dortmund wait tells Barcelona a little more about how badly he is wanted.
Selling Fabio Silva changes the price Dortmund can pay Barcelona, because twenty million from Spain turns a nervous loan into a signing the club actually picked.
BVB Buzz has argued since the El Mala collapse that Lars Ricken was right to refuse a fee he thought was silly, and there is nothing wrong with the same nerve here. Silva is the test of it.
Kovac got the midfield he ordered, and he has four days now to find a right-back.
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