Borussia Dortmund’s 2024 Transfer Targets

While an impressive run may have taken Borussia Dortmund to the Champions League final, the 2023/24 season was not a successful one for the club.

‘die Schwarzgelben’ achieved their lowest league finish in nine seasons, finishing fifth.

Their points tally of 63 was 27 lower than that of the undefeated champions Bayer Leverkusen and their lowest in six years.

BVB’s run in the DFB-Pokal also ended rather abruptly.

After eliminating Schott Mainz and Hoffenheim, they couldn’t make it past the round of 16, falling to a 2-0 defeat at Stuttgart in December.

It was a very frustrating year for Edin Terzic’s side, but their fortunes were much improved in the second half of the campaign.

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January arrivals Jadon Sancho and Ian Maatsen made a big difference and played key roles as the Black and Yellows made it to Wembley.

But with Lars Ricken now CEO, Nuri Sahin now the new head coach and club legends Marco Reus and Mats Hummels having departed, how will ‘die Borussen’ look to improve for next season?

Former chief scout Sven Mislintat is now back at Signal Iduna Park as ‘Squad Planner’.

While he used to prioritise finding young talent to nurture and develop, his targets so far don’t quite seem to fit that mold.

But the hope is that having the ‘Diamond Eye’ back can yield the successes of years gone by.

With Sahin in charge, Mislintat finding talent and Ricken and Sebastian Kehl making the decisions, Dortmund will hope that this could be the start of a new era.

But which players can help achieve this?

Serhou Guirassy

A player who took the Bundesliga by storm this season, Serhou Guirassy is inbound in North Rhine-Westphalia.

The striker scored 28 goals in 28 league appearances for VfB Stuttgart and set up a further two goals.

At 28 years old, the Mali international is in his prime years and was a big reason why Stuttgart managed to pip Bayern Munich to second place.

By November, Guirassy had scored 14 goals in eight Bundesliga matches.

He also ended the campaign in some style, bagging a brace against Borussia Mönchengladbach, while he also enjoyed a spell of form from March to April, where he netted seven times in six games.

Among that spell was a winner at Signal Iduna Park.

BVB will be very familiar with the former Rennes man; he also came off the bench to score the winner against them in the reverse fixture, as well as scoring in the aforementioned Pokal tie.

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Niclas Füllkrug led the line well for ‘die Schwarzgelben’ towards the end of the term.

But the team scored considerably less goals than the four sides ahead of them in the table.

If Guirassy can continue in that same vein, the Dortmund attack will have significant firepower.

That €17.5m release clause could be a seismic bargain.

This might, however, spell departures for Sébastien Haller and/or Youssoufa Moukoko.

The former is reportedly wanted by Mexican side Juarez and Besiktas, while Moukoko sees Sahin’s arrival as a ‘great opportunity’.

Waldemar Anton

Uzbekistan-born German defender Waldemar Anton is also set to arrive from Stuttgart, as ‘die Borussen’ look to complete a raid of the Baden-Württemberg side.

Anton has been with ‘die Schwaben’ for four years now after signing from Hannover in 2020.

But it was in the 2023/24 season where the six foot two centre-back really made his name.

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As Sebastian Hoeness’ side shook the Bundesliga in finishing as runners-up and qualifying for the Champions League, Anton was captain and their rock at the back.

Earning plenty of plaudits throughout the campaign, the 27-year-old became a Germany international in March and was included in their squad for Euro 2024.

Anton missed Stuttgart’s trip to Signal Iduna Park in April due to suspension – the only match he missed all term.

Meanwhile, he started at right-back in the reverse fixture.

As per reports, Nuri Sahin was happy for the club to fork out the player’s €22m release clause.

Anton is expected to sign a four-year deal after the Euros.

Securing the signatures of two of the Bundesliga’s star performers from last season – both in their prime years – for under €40m seems like great business.

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Pascal Groß

Borussia Dortmund’s third target is another German international.

Pascal Groß is Brighton’s third longest-serving player behind Lewis Dunk and Solly March.

The playmaker has been with the Seagulls since their promotion to the Premier League in 2017.

In the years since, the English side have established themselves in the top flight as one of the most well-ran clubs in Europe.

Groß has been a star performer for Albion, hitting eight assists in four different league campaigns.

His form has never been better than it’s been in the last two seasons, however.

In the 2022-23 season, the midfielder registered 10 goals and 10 assists as Roberto de Zerbi’s side qualified for the Europa League.

This season, he scored five times and claimed 13 assists – 10 of which coming in his most productive league campaign.

Such form saw Groß rewarded with a senior international call-up in September. Along with Anton, he was also included in Julian Nagelsmann’s Euro 2024 squad.

Groß earned his move to the Premier League after a fruitful few years with Ingolstadt.

He notched six goals and 12 assists in the German top flight from 2015-2017.

In the late 2000s, the 33-year-old also made a handful of Bundesliga appearances for Hoffenheim.

The Black and Yellows are reportedly close to reaching a verbal agreement with Groß, with negotiations expected to commence soon over a transfer in the region of €7-10m.

The player may sign a two-year deal with the option of extending it by another year, or a simple three-year contract.

Groß is enjoying his best football and ageing like a fine wine.

He can also play at right-back and anywhere in the midfield; this seems like another smart move for Dortmund.

Ferdi Kadioglu

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Nuri Sahin is also reportedly looking to bolster one or two other areas in his squad.

As mentioned, Sancho and Maatsen made a huge difference when they came in on loan.

The former has returned to Manchester United with his future up in the air; it appears that ‘die Borussen’ could be priced out of a deal to bring him back permanently.

Maatsen, meanwhile, has now completed a move to Aston Villa from Chelsea.

This means a new left-back could be inbound at Signal Iduna Park.

A full-back pairing of Maatsen and Julian Ryerson worked much better than Ryerson and Marius Wolf had previously.

With that, Fenerbahce’s Ferdi Kadioglu is on the club’s radar.

The Dutch-born Türkiye international played almost every minute this season for a Fenerbahce side that lost just once throughout the entire term.

He has also played every minute so far for Türkiye at the Euros and is one of the most highly-rated of the country’s current crop of talent.

Sahin will be familiar with Kadioglu, who moved to the Süper Lig in 2018.

The 24-year-old has a number of suitors vying for his signature.

BVB are one of the clubs who have been most strongly linked.

However, like Sancho, the €30m fee reportedly wanted by Fenerbahce may be out of the club’s price range.

Rayan Cherki

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Borussia Dortmund are a club widely renowned for their ability to develop and nurture young talents.

It was ‘die Schwarzgelben’ who put Sancho on the map.

To replace the Englishman, the club are reportedly looking at another highly-rated young prospect.

Olympique Lyon’s Rayan Cherki can play on either wing and at attacking midfield.

A silky playmaker with immense technical ability, the 20-year-old impressed as Lyon completed a miraculous turnaround this season, going from the relegation zone to qualifying for Europe.

Cherki registered three goals and nine assists in all competitions last term.

The Black and Yellows are the frontrunners in the race to sign the Frenchman, who is also eligible to play for Algeria.

French media seem certain Cherki will be playing in North Rhine-Westphalia this season.

The club are reportedly making progress in agreeing personal terms with the player.

An agreement between the clubs has yet to be reached. €15m appears to be the figure being reported most frequently.

Good Business?

Aside from Marcel Sabitzer and Niclas Füllkrug, last summer’s transfer window left a lot to be desired for Borussia Dortmund.

But this first window under the current hierarchical structure appears promising.

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Anton and Guirassy are Bundesliga proven. They’re in their prime years. They’re on the back of phenomenal campaigns with a Stuttgart side that took the Bundesliga by storm.

The pair will also reinforce positions that have been lacking for BVB in recent years.

The same applies to the other three players listed.

Groß will provide experience. He is also in his prime. His versatility and quality will be major assets for Sahin.

Kadioglu and Cherki are both still learning their trade and developing their game. A move to Dortmund represents a step up for both players and given the club’s knack for making stars, these would be really promising signings.

All fees listed seem very reasonable too – some appear to be real bargains.

All things considered, it seems like BVB could make a real statement with their summer business in 2024.

This looks like a really promising start for Ricken, Mislintat, Sahin and co.