Seven South American young stars Dortmund should keep tabs on
Jair Cunha (19, CB, Santos):
The center-back position could also use some depth, especially considering the current injury list that includes key players like Niklas SĂĽle and Waldemar Anton, making them unable to contribute on the pitch. Besides Filippo Mane, who is already a promising piece for Sahin, Dortmund cannot miss the opportunity to sign a ball-playing CB of the quality of Jair Cunha.
The young Brazilian is also only 19, but his understanding of football has been clear since his early days playing for the Santos youth teams. His best asset is his passing abilities and the capacity to retain the ball in order to find line-breaking passes. He is also tall (1.98m) and physically promising, while his long legs gifted him with long steps and a great recovery pace.
His positioning and decision-making can definitely improve, but Jair is a gem waiting to be discovered. He has played practically the entire Serie B campaign for Santos as a starter this season, helping the team to return to Brazilian first-division football. As the Brazilian media reported a couple of days ago, Atalanta is already signaling a 20 million euro proposal to snatch Jair from his home country. Dortmund would need to move fast if they want to add him to their ranks.