Dortmund revive the El Mala chase and cash in on Adeyemi as their squad reshuffle accelerates
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Borussia Dortmund's pursuit of 1. FC Köln forward Said El Mala has swung back to life, with reports of "great optimism" that a deal could be done in the coming days and terms on a five-year contract already agreed with the German Under-21 international, according to Goal. That marks a shift from the breakdown reported earlier in the week, though the clubs are still apart on the fee and no agreement is confirmed.
Dortmund also moved a marquee name off their books, agreeing the sale of Karim Adeyemi to Barcelona for a reported €29m — an initial €22m plus €7m in add-ons — with the German forward set for a five-year deal and Dortmund retaining a sell-on clause, according to Yahoo Sports. The outgoing helps fund Dortmund's reshuffle even as they push to reinforce their attack.
Transfer and squad notes
The El Mala fee remains the sticking point, with Köln holding out for around €50m after rejecting a Dortmund package worth roughly €42m, having earlier resisted a similar approach that the player himself turned down, according to Sky. Dortmund are reported to have already mapped out how they would use El Mala, but the valuation gap must close before anything is official.
Bayern Munich's business continues to set the window's benchmark, with Germany left-back Nathaniel Brown having arrived from Eintracht Frankfurt for a reported €55m to line up alongside earlier signing Ismael Saibari, according to Bundesliga.com. The pair headline an active summer for Vincent Kompany's champions.
RB Leipzig, meanwhile, absorbed a notable departure, with vice-captain Xaver Schlager having left for Nottingham Forest on a free transfer to reunite with Oliver Glasner, per beIN Sports. Losing an experienced leader adds to Leipzig's rebuilding task this summer.
What it means for the league
Dortmund are the window's busiest movers right now, banking Adeyemi's fee while chasing a younger, homegrown attacker in El Mala — a clear attempt to refresh their forward line. Bayern remain the spending benchmark with Brown and Saibari, and Leipzig face a reset after losing Schlager. With Köln's asking price still the obstacle and the window open until August 31, Dortmund's next few days could define the German market's summer.