Borussia Dortmund set to sign highly rated Ecuador midfielder Justin Lerma

Borussia Dortmund are set to complete the signing of talented midfielder Justin Lerma, who will join the club when he turns 18 in two years' time.

Justin Lerma made his first-team debut for Independiente Del Valle last month, aged just 15. He recently celebrated his 16th birthday, and is now on the verge of completing a move to Borussia Dortmund. Multiple reports are claiming that the Black and Yellows are set to seal the signing of the talented midfielder, who has caught the eye of a number of big clubs.

Sky Sport are reporting that Lerma will make the switch to Borussia Dortmund after he turns 18 in 2026. The plan at the moment is that he will join the first-team straight away. Reports in Ecuador have claimed that BVB will pay a transfer fee in the region of nine million euros. But according to Fabrizio Romano, the total financial package will be much lower than that.

With his first-team debut last month, Lerma became the third youngest player to ever play for Independiente Del Valle, behind Bryan Cabezas and Kendry Páez (another player Borussia Dortmund wanted to sign before his move to Chelsea).

Borussia Dortmund are known for giving first-team opportunities to young players. And Justin Lerma will hope to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Jude Bellingham, Jadon Sancho and several other players who made their BVB breakthroughs at a very young age. The towering midfielder is regarded very highly in Ecuador, and it will be exciting to see how he develops in the coming years.