A major transfer rumour involving Nick Woltemade and BVB? "We've got two players with that profile"

The Bild newspaper had reported that, should Guirassy leave, Dortmund would be considering bringing Woltemade back to the Bundesliga. This was triggered by a rumour, also first reported by Bild, that Guirassy wanted to leave the Black and Yellows next summer despite having a contract running until 2028.

Woltemade moved from VfB Stuttgart to Newcastle United last summer for €95 million, but is currently experiencing a serious crisis there – at least in terms of goal-scoring – following a strong start, as manager Eddie Howe has simply stopped playing him in his preferred position.

“I know I’m associated with goals, but you can’t compare a striker’s goal-scoring rate with that of a midfielder who plays 50, 60, 70 metres away from the opposition’s goal,” Woltemade recently told the Süddeutsche Zeitung, adding: “I’m a completely different Nick Woltemade right now than I was at the start of the season!”

According to Bild, Woltemade does not want to leave the Magpies after just one year. And according to Ricken, there is no interest either, because in the BVB boss’s opinion there is no need for action – this also applies to the bubbling rumour mill surrounding Fisnik Asllani, who has been linked with a move to BVB since at least the arrival of Ole Book as the new sporting director in Dortmund.

Book had once brought Asllani to SV Elversberg on loan, thereby paving the way for the Kosovan international’s definitive breakthrough in German professional football. But as far as an Asllani move is concerned, Ricken says: “We’ve got two players with that profile already!”

Ricken, however, was more specific about BVB’s interest in bringing Jadon Sancho back once again, noting that the club’s transfer plans for the attack are primarily focused on replacing “Julian Brandt’s creativity and goalscoring ability”. The 29-year-old will leave BVB at the end of the season, just like Niklas Süle, on a free transfer.

Sancho is said to be a candidate in this regard, partly because he could fit Dortmund’s search criteria, at least financially, given that he would be available on a free transfer next summer. “Of course, we are looking for an attacking player who brings quality, can help us straight away and doesn’t demand a sky-high transfer fee,” said Ricken, adding in response to a specific question about Sancho: “We are assessing whether they can make us better. We are doing the same with Jadon.”

The 26-year-old played for Dortmund from 2017 to 2021, where he made his breakthrough. However, his €85 million move to Manchester United was never destined to succeed. Following a falling-out with then-manager Erik ten Hag, Sancho returned to BVB in January 2024 for the second half of the season and was a key figure on the team’s journey to the Champions League final.

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