Serhou Guirassy's Future at Borussia Dortmund: A €40 Million Decision
Serhou Guirassy is edging towards the exit at Borussia Dortmund, and this time it feels less like a rumour and more like a decision.
According to Sky Sport, the 30-year-old striker has made up his mind to leave BVB this summer. The issue is not the dressing room or the coach’s personality. It is the football.
Guirassy is said to be unhappy with Dortmund’s playing style under Niko Kovac, even though the two enjoy a good personal relationship. At 30, with his prime years ticking away, he wants a new challenge and a different kind of footballing stage.
A €40 million chance – and a waiting game
On paper, his situation looks straightforward. Seven of Europe’s heavyweights, including Real Madrid and Manchester City, could trigger his €40 million release clause with a single phone call. None of them has.
Instead, the real movement is coming from just below that tier. AC Milan, Fenerbahce and Tottenham Hotspur are all circling, interested enough to explore a deal but unable simply to press the clause and walk away. Because of the structure of his contract, they would need to sit down with Dortmund and negotiate.
Guirassy is tied to BVB until 2028. That long contract gives Dortmund leverage, but it also raises the stakes. Lose him, and replacing his output will be expensive and complicated.
Since arriving from VfB Stuttgart in 2024, he has delivered 21 goals and six assists in 45 appearances. Those are not numbers you casually replace, especially in a market where every proven finisher comes at a premium.
Dortmund still fighting to keep their striker
Inside the club, nobody is giving up yet. The hierarchy remains impressed by Guirassy’s qualities and wary of the cost – sporting and financial – of finding an equivalent.
Sporting director Ole Book has already met the forward to outline the club’s vision and try to pull him back towards staying. Lars Ricken and Niko Kovac are expected to join the next round of talks, forming a united front to convince their No. 9 that Dortmund can still be the right place for his ambitions.
The battle is clear: one side is chasing a tactical fit and a new horizon, the other is trying to hold on to a proven goalscorer in a market that rarely forgives missteps.
Ramaj loses his place – and faces an uncertain future
While Guirassy weighs up his next move, another Dortmund player is dealing with a very different kind of decision.
Until last weekend, Diant Ramaj was the undisputed first-choice goalkeeper at 1. FC Heidenheim. Then came the trip to Cologne. Heidenheim won 3-1, but it was Frank Feller, not the BVB loanee, standing in goal.
Heidenheim manager Frank Schmidt explained the call bluntly before kick-off. Feller, he said, had entered pre-season as the potential No. 1 before an injury sidelined him for months. His recent training performances had been “top-class”, and with Heidenheim desperate for an away win, Schmidt felt he had earned his chance – and maybe a bit of luck as well.
Ramaj, for his part, saw it coming. He admitted he had “expected” the demotion and praised the club’s direct communication. Schmidt backed that up, stressing that Heidenheim do not hide behind vague messages: if something is “rubbish”, the players hear it straight. That honesty, he argued, underpins the team spirit that still gives them hope of avoiding relegation after the victory in Cologne.
Ramaj is now likely to watch from the bench for Saturday’s season finale against Mainz 05. Once his loan expires in the summer, he will head back to Dortmund, where his contract runs until 2029 after his move from Ajax Amsterdam in February 2025.
What awaits him there is anything but clear. Recent reports from WAZ suggest that Dortmund, runners-up in the Bundesliga, are even considering selling the 24-year-old. For a keeper who has just lost his place on loan, the next few months could define his trajectory.
Youth on the big stage: Dortmund chase international silverware
While the senior squad wrestles with major decisions, Dortmund’s academy is chasing a trophy of its own.
A combined U19/U23 side will contest the final of the Premier League International Cup on Tuesday at 8 pm, facing a Real Madrid selection for the title. It is a stage designed for the next generation, and Dortmund’s youngsters have earned their place there the hard way.
Across the group phase in December and January, BVB beat Leeds United, West Ham United and AFC Sunderland, progressing despite a defeat to Manchester United. In the knockout rounds they raised the level again, knocking out Everton in the quarter-finals and then overcoming Real Sociedad in the semi-finals at the end of April.
Now comes Real Madrid – and a very different kind of test.
“Real are a typical Spanish side who have a lot of possession, play dominantly and press high up the pitch,” said U19 coach Felix Hirschnagl before the final. U23 coach Daniel Rios underlined that Dortmund will not abandon their principles on the big night. They will not suddenly retreat into a low block. The staff remain convinced that their proactive style, with and without the ball, gives them the best chance to beat such a strong opponent.
The squad reflects that belief in the club’s pathway. Filippo Mane and Almugera Kabar are involved, as is 16-year-old Mathis Albert, who has already had a taste of the Bundesliga after making his debut in the 4-0 win over Freiburg at the end of April.
As Dortmund wrestle with Guirassy’s future and weigh up Ramaj’s role, their academy side steps into a European final with a clear identity and a fearless approach. The question now is whether the club’s next decisive moment comes in a boardroom, on a training pitch, or under the floodlights against Real Madrid.
