Dortmund sports director Sebastian Kehl drew a positive conclusion at the end of the winter transfer deadline. “Overall, we are very satisfied with the rating. With Jadon and Ian we have gained two great players,” said the 43-year-old on Sky before the Bundesliga fourth-placed team’s game on Friday against newly promoted 1. FC Heidenheim (8.30 p.m./DAZN). with reference to the commitments of loan players Jadon Sancho (Manchester United) and Ian Maatsen (Chelsea FC).
Kehl described it as unlikely that the returnee Sancho and full-back Maatsen could be signed permanently at the end of the season: “Unfortunately, purchase options for both players were not realistic. With Ian we pushed for this, but the negotiating position was not there in the end. “
Maatsen’s contract with Chelsea reportedly contains a release clause of 35 to 40 million. Kehl left it open whether BVB would try to buy the 21-year-old Dutchman in the summer despite this high sum. “That’s not what concerns me at the moment. But in the end, something like this always has to do with economic components.” Such a transfer would not be possible without qualification for the Champions League.
After the end of the transfer period, Kehl begins building a team for the coming season. The expiry of a total of eight contracts this summer makes this task more difficult. This also includes the working papers of the two veterans Marco Reus (34) and Mats Hummels (35). “Marco is a fantastic player for Borussia Dortmund – still. We extended with Marco last year, as well as with Mats. We conducted the discussions with great trust. We will now do that again, look each other in the eye when the time comes and see how we can move forward,” said Kehl.
BVB squad
