BVB, News and Rumours: It would be a coup of a free transfer! Borussia Dortmund seem to have come off second best in the race for a top player

BVB have reportedly slipped behind in the race to sign defender Marcos Senesi from AFC Bournemouth.

Transfer insider Matteo Moretto reports that Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester United are already in close contact with the Argentine’s agents, giving them a significant advantage in the negotiations.

Italian newspaper Tuttosport recently claimed that Dortmund had accelerated its pursuit and tabled an initial contract offer. The reported package is worth around €4 million net per year, which would place Senesi among the club’s highest earners.

The Black and Yellows’ interest is not new: Sky and Bild reported as early as mid-March that Dortmund were “closely monitoring” the centre-back, who has already told Bournemouth he will not extend his deal and wants a top-club move.

With captain Emre Can sidelined for an extended period after tearing his cruciate ligament, and Niklas Süle set to depart, Dortmund’s need for defensive reinforcements is acute. Should Nico Schlotterbeck’s rumoured release clause be activated, the club could lose another centre-back.

Senesi rose through the ranks at San Lorenzo before moving to Feyenoord in 2019 for €7m and then to Bournemouth in 2022 for €15m.

BVB coach Niko Kovac made a light-hearted remark about Nico Schlotterbeck’s reported release clause.

After Dortmund’s 0-1 loss to Bayer 04 Leverkusen on Saturday, the coach was asked by DAZN about the centre-back’s supposed release clause, which is said to let him leave for a set fee after the World Cup, regardless of his new contract.

When presenter Laura Wontorra raised the topic, the Black and Yellow coach shrugged: “I don’t even really know the details of my own contract.” When Wontorra pressed on, explaining that she knew exactly what was in her contract, Kovac replied, “Then you’re further ahead than I am.”

Kovac declined to elaborate further, instead defending Schlotterbeck against the boos he had received from some Dortmund fans before the game: “That’s unacceptable. He’s a Borussia player, we’re all Borussia players here in the stadium, and every single player needs the fans’ support,” the coach stated.