Joey Veerman has a medical booked for Monday. Good day for Borussia Dortmund. Rotten one for Marcel Sabitzer.
Sky Germany report a five-year contract for the PSV man after BVB moved on a €22m release clause that runs out on the 21st August. Get German Football News laid out the double deal alongside the Konstantelias move to Signal Iduna Park.
Read the brief and you'll see the problem
Nils-Ole Book has been blunt about what die Schwarzgelben were shopping for. A central midfielder who adds something going forward. Not another shield sitting in front of the back three.
Now think about who has been playing there.
Sabitzer turned 32 in March. FotMob credits him with one goal and two assists across 1,822 Bundesliga minutes last season, at an average of 6.97. For a man asked to make things happen, that is not enough.
Veerman's shape as a player is the opposite. Passing comes first, lock-picking second. FotMob's trait chart ranks his chances created top of the pile among Eredivisie midfielders.
He's not a flying number eight, so don't expect box-to-box lung-busting. Think tempo setter, the thing Kovac has lacked since Pascal Gross left.
FotMob scored his opening-day display against Excelsior at 7.69. At 27 he already has three Eredivisie titles and sixteen Netherlands caps behind him. This is not a punt.
Six days, one audition
Bayern Munich arrive for the Supercup on the 22nd August. Veerman may not be ready to start that one. Sabitzer will be.
So there it is. One enormous night in front of the Yellow Wall. A €22m replacement watching from the stands.
The contract picture sharpens everything. Sabitzer is into the last year of his deal at BVB. BVB Buzz reported that he turned down a Bologna move while staying open to a Champions League club. The same outlet has been asking where his future lies since the spring.
Look at the queue in front of him. Felix Nmecha is nailed on after signing until 2030. Jobe Bellingham is the young player developing. Carney Chukwuemeka picked up a fresh knock in pre-season, which is the only reason a gap exists at all.
Add a Dutch international who cost €22m and that fourth spot starts looking like a seat on the bench.
None of this is a swipe at a player who gave Dortmund three solid years. It is what happens when a club with title ambitions goes shopping properly.
Verdict: Veerman for €22m is the sharpest bit of business die Borussen have done this summer, so Sabitzer's final year has quietly turned into an audition rather than a farewell tour.
Likelihood: of a Sabitzer exit before the window shuts, call it 40 percent. Dortmund want bodies for a title push, though a big Supercup night is his strongest possible argument for staying.
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