Ole Book didn't dress it up after the Supercup. "We are not exactly stacked for depth at right-back," the sporting director admitted in the mixed zone. That's about as close to panic as men in his job ever get.
Yan Couto went to Como on loan in the summer. Nobody has replaced him. Julian Ryerson had better stay fit.
The money has to come from somewhere
Barcelona want €20m for Hector Fort. Mundo Deportivo say they'd settle for a shade over ten if the arrangement carried a fat sell-on clause and a buy-back. Sky says the black and yellow budget for that slot sits at around ten million.
That leaves a hole. Selling Luca Reggiani is the obvious way to fill it.
The Italian centre-back turned 18 in January and has had Inter Milan circling him for weeks, according to Sky, without anyone ever getting as far as a formal offer. His club wouldn't stand in the way at the right price.
Transfermarkt values the teenager at about €10m. That's more or less the figure the Catalans are holding out for.
Why it might still fall apart
Inter haven't actually bid. There's a wide difference between intensifying your interest and picking up the phone with a figure attached. The Italians have spent all month on the wrong side of it.
Then there's the buy-back. Lars Ricken and Book have spent this summer signing teenagers they intend to keep and develop, so handing Hector Fort straight back to Barca on Barca's terms would go down badly at Brackel.
A squad argument sits behind all of it as well. Reggiani slipped behind Waldemar Anton, Ramy Bensebaini, Joane Gadou and Filippo Mane over pre-season, though Nico Schlotterbeck and Emre Can were unavailable throughout. Sell him now and the middle of the defence gets thin the moment somebody pulls up in September.
Whatever happens this week, the lad is worth keeping an eye on. He made his league debut in the closing seconds at Wolfsburg. Then he scored against Augsburg.
BVB Buzz has already told the story of how two right-backs said no before this one said yes. The €21.7m loss posted this month explains why cheap is the only setting available.
Verdict: Book needs a right-back more than he needs Reggiani's minutes, so selling the teenager is the simplest way to pay for one.
Likelihood: Likeliest outcome is a late scramble. Inter have shown no urgency at all, so die Schwarzgelben may well end up funding Fort another way or starting September with Ryerson and a lot of hope.
Add us as a preferred source on Google