Dortmund set to sign Haller as Haaland replacement – summer spending nears €90m

Striker on the move 

Borussia Dortmund are set to complete their seventh signing of the summer transfer window, with reports in Germany reporting that a confirmed move for Ajax striker Sébastien Haller is set to go through before the end of the week. According to Sport1, the former Eintracht Frankfurt and West Ham talisman will join Dortmund for an initial €31 million transfer fee, with a further €4m in bonus payments in the next few years. Upon completion of the move, Haller will sign a four-year deal with the German club. 

The 28-year-old is apparently on holiday in the Ivory Coast at the moment, but will travel to Germany on Thursday to complete his medical with Dortmund, where he will be looking to get back into the swing of scoring goals in the Bundesliga. In a previous stint at Frankfurt, Haller bagged no less than 33 goals and a further 19 assists in 77 games for the Eagles and will be hoping to do as well at the Westfalenstadion. 

Dortmund are set to complete the signing of Sébastien Haller this week

So how many goals will he scored for the Bundesliga club? pic.twitter.com/7HZrotDiXf

— Transfermarkt.co.uk (@TMuk_news) June 22, 2022

Such form at Frankfurt raised Haller’s profile in European football to new heights, with his market value reaching a career high of €40m in late 2019, before West Ham then signed the player for a fee of €50m. However, the Ivory Coast international’s time in England wasn’t much of a success, with just 14 goals in 54 games, leading to a €22.5m move to Ajax in January of 2021. Fortunately, the Eredivisie has proven to be fertile ground for Haller and over the course of the last 18 months Haller has got back to his former success with 47 goals in 65 games for the Dutch giants. 

Süle, Schlotterbeck, Adeyemi and now Haller – Dortmund spending big in summer window

While Haller’s confidence may be as high as ever following an impressive stint at Ajax, he will have to be at his very best to step into the shoes of his predecessor at Dortmund. Who just so happens to be a young man by the name of Erling Haaland. Following the Norwegian striker’s move to Manchester City, Haller is now considered to be the like-for-like replacement for the towering forward at Dortmund. However, he will have plenty of help in his task to get Dortmund back to the top. 

Prior to Haller’s move, Dortmund have already spent around €55m on new signings to bolster a squad that languished in second place last season. Niklas Süle was the first signing, bagged on a free transfer from Bayern Munich, before Freiburg central defender Nico Schlotterbeck was announced in a €20m deal. Following the defenders came RB Salzburg forward Karim Adeyemi and FC Köln defensive midfielder Salih Özcan for a further €5m. As well as Hertha Berlin goalkeeper Marcel Lotka on a free transfer. In total, Dortmund have now spent just shy of €90m on new signings as well as announced a new head coach in Edin Terzic. Whether that will be enough to turn the tide in next season’s Bundesliga title race remains to be seen, but few could doubt that Dortmund are making a solid go of it. 

Homepage