Borussia Dortmund have confirmed the signing of Germany international Karim Adeyemi from Red Bull Salzburg in a deal worth a reported €38 million (£32.5m/$40m).
The 20-year-old reportedly turned down a host of clubs, including Manchester United, to make the move to the Westfalenstadion.
The news comes on the same day it was confirmed Erling Haaland will depart Dortmund for Manchester City in a £51m ($63m) deal this summer.
Adeyemi heads to Dortmund on the back of a stellar season for Austrian champions Salzburg, where he scored 22 goals.
His performances also saw him earn a first senior appearance for Germany, scoring on his debut in a 6-0 win over Armenia in a World Cup qualifier in September.
He becomes Dortmund’s third summer signing after Niklas Sule from Bayern Munich and Nico Schlotterbeck from Freiburg, and has signed a five-year deal with the Bundesliga outfit.
Speaking about the move, Adeyemi, who played youth football in Germany before joining Salzburg in 2018, said: “As a little boy, I was fascinated by black and yellow fast-paced football. That’s why it quickly became clear to me that I would like to switch to BVB when I found out about Dortmund’s interest.
“I deliberately signed for the long term because I’m convinced that we’ll be an exciting team that, with the support of the fantastic Dortmund fans, will be able to play for and win titles in the medium term.”
Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl added: “Following the transfers of Niklas Sule and Nico Schlotterbeck, we’ve got another very exciting player in Karim Adeyemi for the coming season.
“By the way, one who has a high BVB affinity, whose heart has already beaten for black and yellow as a youngster and who has decided against many offers from the top European leagues in order to be able to play for Borussia Dortmund.
“His speed and goal threat are impressive, and although Karim is already very far in terms of football and athletics at just 20 years old, we see enormous development potential in him.”
What did Salzburg say about Adeyemi’s departure?
Salzburg praised Adeyemi for achieving “extraordinary things” during his time at the club and wished him well for the future.
“I can still remember very clearly when Karim came to us. He was a young, funny and polite fellow with enormous talent,” said sporting director Christoph Freund.
“As a player, he then developed tremendously in the four years with us and experienced extraordinary things with us.
“As a guy, however, Karim has remained the same, his nature has hardly changed to this day and he is still the same down-to-earth, good guy who is extremely popular everywhere – whether in the team or with the fans.
“A great person and footballer is leaving us, and we wish him all the best and every success in his future career.”
From goal.com
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Germany defender Antonio Rudiger has agreed to join Real Madrid when his Chelsea contract expires at the end of the season.
The 29-year-old has completed a medical and put pen-to-paper on a four-year deal worth a reported €6.8 million (£5.7m/$7.1m) per season, plus bonuses.
The defender and his agent Sahr Senesie, also his brother, are also due to receive a huge signing bonus with some reports placing it at €35 million (£29m/$37m) between them both.
From goal com