Borussia Dortmund reportedly made a bid on Valencia midfielder Pepelu

With the transfer window now in August, clubs around Europe will be looking to fine-tune and organize their squads ahead of the competitive season, which is set to start in a couple of weeks. Borussia Dortmund is no exception to this, as the club has recently announced some very important arrivals, and is working on more deals in light of additional departures.

According to reports coming out of Spain, Borussia Dortmund recently had an offer of 17 million euros rejected by Valencia for star midfielder Pepelu. the defensive midfielder and Malaga native had a sensational season in La Liga, scoring 7 goals and 1 assist in 37 appearances.

The report indicates that both Dortmund and Serie A side Fiorentina tried to make a move for the player, but that his priority has been to stay with Valencia. The club, on it's part, is looking for a fee closer to 20-25 million euros for their star man.

Reports linking Dortmund with Pepelu, or other midfielders at this point in the transfer window come off as suspect at face value, particularly because Dortmund just signed Pascal Groß and look unlikely to have any departures in this sector of the pitch anytime soon. While Salih Özcan was linked with a move to Olympique Lyon in recent weeks, it is now reported that the player is more likely to stay in Dortmund. Felix Nmecha and Emre Can also look entrenched with the club, while Marcel Sabitzer and Kjell Wätjen look to be the present and future of the number 8 position respectively.

It’s no secret that Dortmund could use a change in terms of personnel for the defensive midfield. For any addition to occur, however, departures would be necessary for the club to make room in the team physically and financially for any new arrivals to join the club.