Bayer Leverkusen Reject Borussia Dortmund’s Bid For Their Star Man
https://twitter.com/KimoBellarabi/status/735487119804772353
Borussia Dortmund have seen their £29.2 million bid for Karim Bellarabi rejected by Bayer Leverkusen, the latter club’s sporting director has revealed.
Dortmund have already parted ways with two of their best players, after captain Mats Hummels joined arch-rivals Bayern Munich, and midfielder Ilkay Gundogan followed Bayern’s departing manager Pep Guardiola to English giants Manchester City.
Having already lost two big players in the same transfer window, Dortmund are now reluctant to sell any more of their superstars, but they may still be unable to stop Henrikh Mkhitaryan from leaving the Westfalenstadion club and complete his “dream move” to Manchester United.
Dortmund are therefore taking no risks, and preparing themselves beforehand if the worst case scenario does pan out, and their Armenian star does end up joining Jose Mourinho at the Theatre of Dreams.
Hence, BVB manager Thomas Tuchel is looking to sign Bayer Leverkusen winger Karim Bellarabi as a potential replacement for Mkhitaryan if the play maker does leave this summer. In fact, Dortmund have already submitted a bid worth £29.2 million for Bellarabi, but it has been rejected, Leverkusen’s sporting director Rudi Voller has revealed.
Voller was quoted as saying: “There was an official request from Dortmund a few days ago, but it was instantly rejected. To sell Karim is not an option for us at Leverkusen. He is definitely staying, he is not for sale.”
Despite facing a blow in their pursuit, Dortmund may still succeed in acquiring Bellarabi’s services by making an improved offer for the 26-year-old.
The funding for this renewed offer could very well come from the €38 million fee Dortmund will receive from the sale of Henrikh Mkhitaryan to Manchester United, as reported by the reliable Sky Sports journalist Gianluca Di Marzio.
But if they still fail to sign Bellarabi’s from their Bundesliga rivals, Dortmund have more options available, such as Wolfsburg’s Andre Schurrle, who is also being linked with a summer switch to BVB.
