Welcome back to club soccer, everyone! After 104 World Cup matches, club soccer is officially back on the menu. 48 teams competed, 11 Dortmund players featured for their national teams, 3 taxidermy animals were brought to Norway, 1 team won the whole thing, and 1 team crashed out 4-1 in front of a home crowd after their president strong-armed a very corruptible FIFA into rescinding a red card. Yes, I’m still upset about that.
We’ll be slowly building up to the 2026/27 season here on Fear the World
but first it’s important to see where team stands three weeks into the Summer Transfer Window. Here are the ins, the outs, and the rumors of Dortmund’s 2026 window so far!
The Ins
Joane Gadou
Everyone knows if you want win silverware, you need a French defender on your team – just ask Aymeric Laporte! With Niklas Süle leaving the club and Nico Schlotterbeck’s increasingly frequent injuries, Dortmund went out and signed 19-year-old center-back, Joane Gadou, from Red Bull Salzburg for roughly $22 million. Gadou will likely be Dortmund’s fourth choice center-back behind Schlotterbeck, Waldermar Anton, and Rami Bensebaini but has a chance to prove himself early in the season after Schlotterbeck’s World Cup injury. Gadou is a highly touted star from PSG’s youth ranks who made a name for himself across two seasons in Salzburg. He’s physically dominant and has been described as “further ahead at this age than Dayot Upamecano was back then”. Hopefully we’ll see Gadou grow into the next French phenom during his time at Dortmund.
His contract runs until 2031.
Justin Lerma
Borussia Dortmund first announced Justin Lerma in May of 2024. After turning 18 in May, the Ecuadorian midfielder finally joins from Independiente Del Valle. Touted as a high potential player, Lerma is an explosive midfielder who likes to take shots, dribble in midfield and float on the edge of the box. He’s still got a ton of developing to do but expect him to get rotational minutes this season after sealing his first goal in preseason.
Kauã Prates
Across last season, Daniel Svensson played 2,452 minutes across 33 matches. This was not only because he’s a good player but also because Dortmund lack any depth at left-back. That’s where Kauã Prates comes in. The 17-year-old Prates is a Brazilian left-back joining from Cruzeiro for around $7 million. Prates likes to play wide, cross the ball, and defend one-on-one. Former Cruzeiro coach (and Mbappe’s coach at Monac0), Leonardo Jardim, described Prates as a “balanced full-back that all coaches like. He is good at set pieces and has both defensive and offensive qualities”. I like the sound of that! At 17, Prates is one for the future. Expect him to get rotation minutes, push for Svensson’s spot, and hopefully develop into a great player at Dortmund.
Takato Yamamoto
Look, Takato Yamamoto is probably a player for the reserve team this season but by all accounts I’ve heard this guy is a baller. The 18-year-old Japanese midfielder joined from Gamba Osaka in the J League on a one-year loan and is highly thought of within his home country. He’ll join Borussia Dortmund across their preseason tour in Asia and, if he does well, could make a name for himself heading into the season. Definitely a player to watch considering Dortmund’s lack of depth in midfield. After scoring in Dortmund’s opening friendly, Kovac said the following:
We’ll look forward to working with him. For now, certaintly with the reserve team, but that doesn’t mean the door to the first team is closed. On the contrary, it’s open, and we’ll be keeping an eye on him”
Dortmund holds a $1.7 million buy option for Yamamoto.
The Outs
Karim Adeyemi
After four years in Dortmund, Adeyemi is moving to Barcelona for a $25 million fee and 35% sell-on clause. The 24-year-old forward only had one year left on his deal and wanted the move to Catalonia so there was little the club could do to retain Adeyemi. Across 1,196 league minutes, Adeyemi notched 7 goals and 4 assists. The speedster has been an inconsistent player across is career in Dortmund and often found himself behind Maximilian Beier this season. Adeyemi’s departure appears to be one of the big dominos to fall before Dortmund can make further signings this summer so we should expect some movement soon. Additionally, Adeyemi’s deal is rumored to have around $8 million in conditional payments that should flow to Dortmund over the next couple of seasons. Good luck in Barcelona, Adeyemi!
Julian Brandt
After 7 years in Dortmund, Julian Brandt is a free agent and looking for a new club. Brandt’s departure was announced back in March and is the biggest hole Dortmund face going into the new season. Brandt was third on goals (7), fourth on goals + assists (11), and played 1,607 minutes across 29 matches. He was an important catalyst across some of Dortmund’s biggest moments this season and now the club has to replace him. Carney Chukwuemeka, Justin Lerma, Takato Yamamoto, or even some of Dortmund’s rumored signings will all be competing for Brandt’s minutes. If one of them fail to step up, Dortmund will have to find new ways to create chances.
Salih Özcan
After several years in Dortmund, Salih Özcan is leaving the club. Özcan was a tireless midfielder but ultimately a depth option with only 73 Bundesliga minutes who was brought back from loan. He’ll be plying his trade for Bestikas after leaving Dortmund on a free transfer.
Niklas Süle
After health issues marred Niklas Süle’s time at Borussia Dortmund, the 30-year-old announced his retirement from professional football. He’ll be playing for amateur team, SV Tiefenbach, going forward. I’ll let him tell you about the move:
“Two of my best friends play for SV Tiefenbach, and one of them is even the coach. After 13 years in professional football, it’s an absolute gift to share the pitch with my mates again and simply enjoy this wonderful sport to the fullest.”
Frankly, that’s awesome – best of luck to Süle!
Cole Campbell
20-year-old Cole Campbell is departing the club for SV Elversberg, Ole Book’s old club. The American-Icelandic winger leaves Dortmund after spending last season on loan with Hoffenheim. He’s played in only five Bundesliga games for either Hoffenheim or Dortmund across the past three years. Dortmund earn $7m from the sale.
Kjell Wätjen
Dortmund’s local wunderkid is leaving the club after joining the youth ranks at 9-years-old. Wätjen spent last season on loan with Bochum in the 2. Bundesliga and has now been transfered to Danish side, FC Midtjylland. The 20-year-old impressed for Dortmund’s reserve team but never made a name for himself with the first team after only four appearances. He’ll be playing under his former coach, Mike Tullberg, and be competing against former teammate, Youssoufa Moukoko, for the Superligaen title.
The Rumors
Nico Schlotterbeck and Serhou Guirassy are Staying
Two of the biggest questions marks entering this offseason were Nico Schlotterbeck and Serhou Guirassy’s futures in Dortmund. After signing a contract extension in April, Schlotterbeck has a release clause that certain clubs could trigger for a ‘realistic’ amount. Guirassy has a similar clause in his contract. Those clauses, however, expired on July 15 and we can expect both key players to stay in Dortmund. Nico Schlottereck is out with a ligament injury that will keep him sidelines until mid-September while Guirassy has already joined Dortmund’s preseason camp. There is still a chance that Guirassy leaves this summer but Dortmund will now be in control of his future.
Konstantinos Karestsas is Dortmund’s Primary Transfer Target
With a need to replace Julian Brandt and Karim Adeyemi, Dortmund are lookin to Genk’s Konstantinos Karestsas as their replacement. The 18-year-old Greek international has featured regularly for Genk’s first team across the past two seasons. Last year, he took the step up and notched 10 assists in the Belgian Pro league and 4 more in the Europea league. Karestsas plays as a either out wide or behind the forward as Genk’s primary playmaker. He was only behind fellow Greek international and Arsenal-bound Christos Tzolis in the league’s assist charts. If he does come to Dortmund, expect to see a technically-gifted dribbler who excels under pressure.
Signing Karestsas, however, will not be easy but Dortmund are in pole position. Ole Book and Lars Ricken completed their own Odyssey by traveling to Genk to broker the deal themselves. Both party’s left the meeting confident that a deal could be reached in the coming weeks and we can expect the figure to hover between $30-35 million.
The Belgian Pro League’s top goalscorer, Nicolo Tresoldi, has also been linked with a move to Dortmund. This move seems far less likely with the 20-year-old striker seemingly set to join Roma. Dortmund, however, are apparently interested and Tresoldi was likely seen as a Guirassy replacement. With Guirassy staying in Dortmund and Tresoldi’s upbringing in Italy, I don’t expect this move to go through.
The Eternal Jadon Sancho Rumor
Since leaving Dortmund five years ago, Jadon Sancho has been linked to a return to Dortmund. Every. Single. Window. The 26-year-old spent 5 months on loan here in 2024 and is now a free agent after spending the past season on loan at Aston Villa. Across 873 Premier League minutes for the Villans, Sancho notched only two goals. A look at his underlying numbers, however, reveals a useful player. Sancho’s end product, something he excelled at in Dortmund six years ago, has dropped off a cliff but his progression and creation numbers are still fairly elite. Many clubs will be circling Sancho but, as always, he could join Dortmund.
Your Thoughts
What do you think of Dortmund’s transfer window so far? Remember – we’re only three weeks into it! Which signing are you most excited about? Which departure scares you? How mad are you that we haven’t signed Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland, and Lamine Yamal? Let us know below!
