Ekitike target number 1
Borussia Dortmund’s new signing Karim Adeyemi is not impressed about any potential comparisons to his predecessor Erling Haaland. “It is similar to how it was here in Salzburg when I was new to the team,” the 20-year-old national team player said as part of a press conference of his current club Red Bull Salzburg on Wednesday. “Once again, it was Erling Haaland and people thought I was his successor—but I can rule that out because I am a completely different player.”
Like Haaland two years ago, Adeyemi now moves on from Austria’s double winner to Dortmund. The Norwegian, in turn, will join Manchester City in the coming season. Adeyemi pointed out that he has been in touch with the Black and Yellows for some time. “I closely followed what Dortmund have done in the Bundesliga,” Adeyemi said. “As a result, I have been in close contact with the decision-makers, and I feel good about this next step. It can be a very good next step.”
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The 20-year-old forward had an excellent conversation with the former Salzburg and now BVB coach Marco Rose. “I know him a bit from his time at Salzburg,” Adeyemi said. “I heard many good things about the coaching staff. We had an open conversation. He really wanted me in Dortmund. Because of that, I am headed there with a very good feeling.”
Ekitike Dortmund’s number 1 transfer target – Haller also an option
Dortmund officially presented Adeyemi on Tuesday, and the national team forward has signed a five-year contract. But he is not the Haaland replacement. Dortmund, instead, are busy on the transfer market looking for a more typical number 9. Transfermarkt understands that Stade Reims’ Hugo Ekitike is the number one target for that position. The Frenchman, who had an excellent season, is also linked with several other clubs. Bayern Munich, Newcastle United, and Chelsea have been linked with a potential interest. Another option for the number 9 position is Ajax forward Sébastien Haller and Sparta Prague striker Adam Hlozek.
Karim Adeyemi once again reiterated today that he won’t be the Haaland replacement at #BVB. As I said on the @Gegenpress_Pod a couple weeks ago and as we reported on @Transfermarkt today the number 1 target for Dortmund remains Stade Reims forward Hugo Ekitike.
— Manuel Veth (@ManuelVeth) May 11, 2022
Future Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl has described the profile of a potential Haaland replacement. “We need high reliability to remain competitive,” Kehl said. “Tempo is very important in modern football, but you also need a certain amount of physicality.” Salzburg’s sporting director Christoph Freund, in the meantime, is confident that Dortmund will benefit from the Adeyemi transfer. “As far as I know Karim, I am certain he will become a fan favorite in Dortmund,” Freund said. “The way he plays football is spectacular and will cause murmurs on the Yellow Wall. He will be a forward that people will talk about a lot over the next few years.”
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