Borussia Dortmund star Karim Adeyemi was linked to Chelsea and Napoli in the winter market, but no deal took shape.
Bild take a peek into what happened behind the scenes around the forward in the last window.
Journalist Christian Falk claims the 23-year-old was proposed to Chelsea and Napoli by his former agent, Ali Barat. He adds the representative was trying to take the player away from the Bundesliga club.
“He didn’t really want to leave in the winter either. His old agent, Ali Barat, who was a bit of a driving force, wanted to accommodate him. He offered him to Napoli and Chelsea,” Falk said.
The Germany international has parted ways with Barat and is now represented by Roof. The Bild reporter claims Adeyemi wasn’t in favour of leaving in January despite being a transfer candidate for Dortmund.
“As a result, he left Barat and is now with Roof. He’s taking a look at Dortmund. A sale is not mandatory. Dortmund were also expecting it, but if he performs well, the chapter can continue,” Falk explained.
The Bundesliga club sacked Nuri Şahin and appointed Niko Kovač as his successor last month.
Adeyemi has featured regularly under the new manager and Falk explained: “Adeyemi feels very, very comfortable under Niko Kovač. He’s slowly getting back into shape and is performing well.”
His contract lasts until 2027 and Bild claim the player can imagine himself staying at Dortmund for the long term. The ‘transfer turnaround’ with Adeyemi is because of the new manager’s arrival.
BVB are currently 10th in the table and if they miss out on the Champions League, there has to be a big sale in the summer window.
Chelsea are still in the picture to sign Adeyemi, who is valued at €50m plus bonuses by BVB.
