Interest from the Bundesliga: Will BVB lose a top talent for good this summer?

Wätjen is currently on loan from BVB to second-tier side Bochum. At VfL, however, the central midfielder is only used as a rotation player; manager Uwe Rösler tends to rely instead on the two homegrown players Mats Pannewig and Cajetan Lenz.

According to WAZ reports, discussions are therefore underway as to whether another loan deal or even a permanent transfer to another club could materialise in the summer. Several unnamed Bundesliga clubs are said to be showing interest, though another season at VfL Bochum cannot be ruled out.

At BVB, Wätjen is unlikely to get sufficient playing time, at least in the short to medium term. For the coming season, four top-class options are already available in his position in the form of Felix Nmecha, Marcel Sabitzer, Jobe Bellingham and Carney Chukwuemeka; moreover, Dortmund would actually like to sign another defensive midfielder.

Should a departure actually go ahead, Wätjen would be the fourth player to leave BVB at the end of the season, following Niklas Süle, Julian Brandt and Salih Özcan. Dortmund have also already signed two players for the coming season: left-back Kaua Prates and attacking midfielder Justin Lerma.

Wätjen moved from FSV Gevelsberg to BVB’s youth team in 2015. In 2024, he was promoted to the first-team squad, for whom he made four appearances (one assist) in the Bundesliga. His contract with the Black and Yellows runs until 2028.