According to Ruhr Nachrichten , Borussia Dortmund are already considering sending Lerma out on loan in the winter.
The midfielder faces a number of problems, and none of them make his future with last season's runners-up look promising. With fierce competition for places, his chances of game time in Niko Kovac's senior midfield currently appear close to zero. On top of that, Lerma is sidelined with a muscle injury.
On top of that, for employment law reasons, Ruhr Nachrichten say he is not allowed to play for Borussia Dortmund's Under-23s in the Regionalliga.
That leaves him with only the Under-21 competition Premier League International Cup, and the next matches in that competition are not scheduled until mid-December. At the start of the PLIC, Lerma played a good hour in a 4-1 win against Fulham and scored for the title holders Borussia Dortmund.
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What do Borussia Dortmund have in mind for Justin Lerma?
Dortmund had already considered immediately sending out the talented teenager on loan in the summer. He arrived from Independiente del Valle for four million euros and signed until 2031. At the time, though, the club shelved that idea because Lerma first needed to get used to his new surroundings.
Now, given the current situation, a loan move to a club where the attacking midfielder would get regular game time appears to be the preferred option.