Borussia Dortmund allegedly show interest in FC Porto's Alan Varela

Ahead of what is supposed to be a very busy summer transfer window for Borussia Dortmund in a few months time, reports have began to trickle in that the club may be interested in reinforcing their midfield. FC Porto's Alan Varela has been linked as a possible target.

Varela, an Argentinian international, plays predominantly as a defensive midfielder. He initially moved to Porto almost a year ago in the previous summer transfer window from Boca Juniors for a fee of eight million euros.

Varela has impressed for the Portuguese side with his quality in terms of passing and overall vision. His passing accuracy sits at 88.4% for the year, highlighting his ability to connect with his teammates on the pitch. Of course, he's been no slouch defensively either, with the Argentinian excelling in terms of his aggressive approach play and ability to recover the ball; all qualities that have allegedly caught the eyes of Dortmund, amongst others.

Alongside Dortmund, Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain seem keen on making a move for the player, which, in truth, puts a damper on just how concrete Dortmund's interest could possibly be in the player's services. A 70 million euro release clause also stands in the way of Dortmund being able to make a move for the player, which really puts him in a bracket that is likely too high for the club to reach, unless Porto are willing to negotiate, and the player himself is convinced of joining Dortmund.

The addition of yet another midfielder of Varela's, or equivalent quality, would have to result in the club making room in their ranks with the sale of the likes of Emre Can or Salih Özcan. With Can as the club's current captain, it is unlikely that Dortmund would try to move him on, and Özcan has more than once maintained his intent to stay with Dortmund despite interest from other clubs.

Dortmund's funds could possibly see some windfall from their qualification for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, which is rumored to bring each participating club 50 million euros. That being said, it seems very unlikely that the club would spend all this money on one player, rather than distributing it accordingly across multiple positions.