Borussia Dortmund’s frantic search for a late replacement for injured attacker Giannis Konstantelias could be partially financed by the departure of Italian defensive talent Luca Reggiani, with Southampton reportedly submitting a concrete offer for the 18-year-old. Kicker has confirmed reports linking Dortmund with Arsenal talent Ethan Nwaneri.
Dortmund sporting CEO Lars Ricken and sporting director Nils Ole Book have remained behind while the team travels to Hamburg for its DFB-Pokal first-round fixture in order to work on potential deadline deals.
Niko Kovač confirmed on Monday that BVB have “some options, some alternatives” following Konstantelias’ serious knee injury, but acknowledged that precious little time remains.
Dortmund revisit Nwaneri interest
Nwaneri represents precisely the type of deal Dortmund are currently pursuing. Having already spent more than €100m during the summer window, BVB are not expected to finance another expensive permanent addition unless they first generate income through a departure. Loan deals involving elite young talents have therefore moved to the forefront of Ricken and Book’s thinking.
Nwaneri spent the second half of last season on loan at Olympique Marseille and offers options both centrally and from the wing. Dortmund’s interest is also nothing new. GGFN reported on BVB courting Nwaneri as early as July 2025, when the Arsenal academy product’s pathway to regular first-team football in North London had already attracted attention from the Bundesliga club.
Kicker notes that the left-footed Nwaneri does not offer an exact stylistic replacement for Konstantelias. His profile bears greater resemblance to another highly-rated Dortmund youngster, Konstantinos Karetsas, but the Arsenal attacker could nevertheless occupy the spaces vacated by the injured Greek international.
No final decision has yet been taken.
Southampton submit concrete Reggiani offer
Dortmund could potentially create more room to maneuver through Reggiani’s departure. According to Italian transfer journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, Southampton have submitted a concrete offer for the young Italian centre-back amid wider international interest in his services. A Reggiani exit has already appeared increasingly plausible over recent weeks.
Get German Football News examined the teenager’s uncertain Dortmund future earlier this month, with Filippo Mané having moved ahead of his compatriot in the internal defensive hierarchy. A subsequent GGFN report also noted that Reggiani was considering his options amid interest from Italy. Inter were among the clubs linked with the defender, while a loan had previously appeared the likeliest solution.
Southampton’s concrete approach potentially changes that equation.
Reggiani broke unexpectedly into Kovač’s senior squad last season after beginning the campaign at youth level. The Sassuolo academy product eventually collected eight Bundesliga appearances and another in the Champions League, accumulating significant senior experience despite being only 18.
His rapid progression also earned him a senior Italy debut against Greece in June. The problem for Reggiani is that Dortmund’s defensive depth has continued to increase around him.
Mané has climbed above him in the pecking order, while the expected returns of Nico Schlotterbeck and Emre Can from long-term injuries would push Reggiani still further away from regular first-team football during the autumn.
Reggiani could eventually find himself as low as seventh in BVB’s central defensive hierarchy.
Reggiani sale could unlock deadline business
That makes Southampton’s approach particularly intriguing from Dortmund’s perspective. Reggiani’s market value (€10m) has increased considerably following his first-team breakthrough and senior international debut, while his immediate sporting importance to Kovač has simultaneously diminished.
A sufficiently lucrative permanent offer could therefore allow BVB to monetize one of their emerging defensive talents while freeing additional funds for a more pressing area of the squad. Dortmund’s unexpectedly urgent need concerns the attack.
Nwaneri now represents one of the most concrete low-cost solutions under consideration. Reggiani, meanwhile, could provide Dortmund with exactly the sort of late outgoing transfer required to give their sporting executives greater freedom during the final hours of the window.
