Will Chelsea Return for Karim Adeyemi?

Borussia Dortmund as a football club have grown used to bidding goodbye to talented players. In years gone by, the likes of Mario Götze, Robert Lewandowski and Ivan Perišić all departed for Bayern Munich. In more recent years, Erling Haaland left for Manchester City and Jude Bellingham became a Real Madrid player.

Already this summer, Chelsea have shown their financial might by taking Jamie Gittens out of the Westfalenstadion, but now rumours have emerged that the London side could be coming back in order to tempt another player to leave the black and yellow for Stamford Bridge.

Karim Adeyemi Could Be Next on the List

Karim David Adeyemi was born in Munich on the 18th of January 2002. From the moment he joined Borussia Dortmund from Red Bull Salzburg, there was a feeling that he might end up heading back to the city of his birth at some point. What few people will have expected, however, was the idea of seeing him leave the Westfalenstadion for the Premier League. He had already been on Bayern Munich’s books for a time, leaving in 2012 in order to join the youth setup at SpVgg Unterhaching, from where he continued his footballing journey by signing with Salzburg.

@sommitsports Karim Adeyemi scored this banger against Celtic Glasgow and also completed a first-half hattrick. What a night for the German #adeyemi #karimadeyemi #bvb #dortmund #championsleague #celtic #celticglasgow ♬ sonido original –

The talented winger is capable of playing in numerous positions across the pitch, which is doubtless part of the appeal for Chelsea. The Blues are looking to create a side filled with fluid attackers, which is why they have already raided Dortmund’s coffers for Jamie Gittens. In the 2024-2025 season, Adeyemi played 41 times for Die Schwarzgelben, scoring 12 times and assisting another 11. That puts him in the same kind of area as Gittens, so it isn’t hard to see how he might have caught the eye of the Chelsea scouts who were sent along to assess the Englishman in the first place.

They Will Have to Pay a High Price

Had Der BVB missed out on Champions League football, it would be easier to understand why it is that the club might be looking to make as much money as possible from its various assets. Instead, Dortmund snuck into fourth place, whilst also making a decent chunk of money from the Club World Cup this summer. As a result, there is no need for Der BVB to sell players for cheap in the coming weeks. What that means is that Chelsea will have to pay a pretty penny if they want to prize Adeyemi away from the Westfalenstadion, with suggestions being that offers will need to hit the €65 to €70 million mark.

Borussia Dortmund want to keep Karim Adeyemi. The club would only be willing to discuss a transfer fee of 65 to 70 million euros.

@BILD

#BVB

— BVB Newsblog (@bvb-newsblog.bsky.social) 11 July 2025 at 09:00

Then there is the matter of the player himself, who is reportedly happy at Dortmund and has long been a fan of the club, as have his family. He has solidified his position in the team, growing in ability, confidence and stature since he signed for Die Schwarzgelben in 2022. The fact that the club doesn’t want to sell him and that he isn’t exactly desperate to leave means that Chelsea won’t be able to get him on the cheap. They are flush with cash after winning the Club World Cup, but whether they will have any desire to splash a good percentage of that money on just one player remains to be seen.

Newcastle Want Him Too

Another problem for Chelsea is the fact that Newcastle United are also interested in Adeyemi. The Saudi Arabian-owned football club obviously have money to burn and are keen on strengthening their squad after qualifying for next season’s Champions League. It can only be seen as a good thing from Dortmund’s point of view that two rich English clubs are vying over Adeyemi’s signature, even if links to the Magpies seem unlikely now that they have bought Anthony Elanga from Nottingham Forest. There remain persistent links over Alexander Isak, though, so strengthening there could be important.

The Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia won’t want to lose their crown jewel, but if they do, they will be keen to ensure that they bring in a talented replacement. Adeyemi could well tick that box, which is why the club is being linked to his signature. After all, the player can lead the line as well as play on the wings, to say nothing of the fact that he is rapid. That is the kind of thing that Dortmund fans know only too well and helps to explain why no one associated with Der BVB will be happy to see him go. That being said, if the club can recoup in the region of €60 million for him, it might well be accepted.