Ladies and gentlemen… we got him!
According to Bob Faesen of HLN Sport and confirmed by Florian Plettenburg, Borussia Dortmund has secured the transfer of 18 year-old Greek international Konstantinos Karetsas from KRC Genk of the Belgian Pro League. Plettenburg reports that Dortmund will pay a package worth a club-record €32 million plus add-ons for the highly-rated attacking midfielder, and that Karetsas has signed a six-year contract lasting until 2031.
The negotiations between the two clubs lasted
over a week, and while Dortmund would have probably liked to get the deal done prior to the Japan preseason trip, BVB finally beat out other top European clubs such as AC Milan for Karestas’ signature.
Karestas shined for Genk in 2025-26, totaling 11 assists in almost 2,000 league minutes as Genk secured seventh in the league table in addition to his three goals and four assists in over 700 minutes in European action as the Belgian side advanced to the Europa League Round of 16 before being eliminated by runners-up Freiburg. He also registered two assists and a goal in two Croky Cup matches. In 3,244 total minutes and 49 combined matches across all competitions, Karestas racked up 18 assists and three goals; Not bad for someone who just turned 18 in November. He’s also represented Greece at the senior level 10 times since his debut in March 2025 and has scored three goals.
Looking past the statsheet and taking a glance at his video highlights, you can see why Dortmund and so many other clubs were looking to sign him. Playing mostly as an attacking midfielder, he loves to cut onto his left foot and let it rip, and he has insane dribbling skills for someone his age. Kovac could play him primarily in the center as a 10, or play him on the right as an inverted winger due to his love to moving onto his left foot.
It looks like new BVB sporting director Ole Book has done it again, adding to a summer transfer window that includes the additions of Joane Gadou, Kauã Prates, and Justin Lerma. We can expect Karestsas to complete his medical in the coming days. He will likely join the squad after their preseason tour of Japan.
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