Borussia Dortmund’s are now looking for midfield alternatives following the last-minute breakdown between themselves and Ajax’s Edson Álvarez.
The Mexican international looked set to sign for BVB and nicely slide into the defensive midfield role. However, following a €30m bid being rejected, the BVB board decided that the midfielder would be too expensive in the end.
With developments surrounding Emre Can who is expected to sign a new contract by a further two-or-three years, it would appear that Edin Terzic will go into the 2023/24 campaign with the 29-year-old as their defensive midfielder.
However, with just Salih Özcan as backup, this is a risky tactic unless Dortmund seek to bring in another defensive-minded midfielder.
The club are still working on bringing VfL Wolfsburg’s Felix Nmecha (22) to the club but the youngster would offer something different in comparison to Álvarez. Other names that have been mentioned so far this window include Lecce midfielder Morten Hjulmand and Manchester City’s Cole Palmer.
Hjulmand is a defensive midfielder by trade and out of contract in 2024. It’s believed the Danish U21 international could join BVB for as little as €15m. Given the price of Álvarez, this seems would more viable for Dortmund.
Cole Palmer, again, is a different type of midfielder from the likes of Álvarez and Hjulmand. Playing in a more attacking role, the England U21 still has time to adapt his game should BVB see him as more of a box-to-box player. Last season, the player featured in 25 matches across all competitions and was only on the pitch for a total of 850 minutes. Palmer’s current market value is also €15m.
GGFN | Jamie Allen
