Offer falls well short of the German club’s valuation of the forward
Borussia Dortmund have rejected a €20m offer from Barcelona for Karim Adeyemi. The Bundesliga club are holding out for a much higher fee for the Germany forward.
Barcelona made an approach for the 24-year-old but the bid was considered well below Dortmund’s valuation. Adeyemi has one year remaining on his current contract.
The forward is open to leaving Dortmund this summer, although the Premier League is understood to be his preferred destination. Aston Villa are reported to have maintained long-term interest in the player, who joined Dortmund from Red Bull Salzburg in 2022.
Adeyemi played a reduced role last season as Dortmund finished second in the Bundesliga, 16 points behind Bayern Munich. He started 15 league matches and made 13 further appearances from the bench, scoring 10 goals and providing six assists in 39 games across all competitions.
His ability to operate in several attacking positions has increased his appeal. He is capable of playing as a striker, winger or in a deeper role behind the front line. He featured mainly through the middle for Dortmund last season.
Barcelona are looking to strengthen their attack after veteran Robert Lewandowski left the club at the end of his contract to join Chicago Fire and Marcus Rashford returned to Manchester United after Barcelona decided not to activate their €30m purchase option. Ansu Fati has also completed a permanent move to Monaco.
The Spanish champions have already added Anthony Gordon from Newcastle United in an €80m deal this summer but remain interested in further attacking reinforcements.
Adeyemi has made 146 appearances for Dortmund, recording 36 goals and 25 assists. He was a key player during their run to the Champions League final in 2023-24, starting eight of their 12 matches before they lost 2-0 to Real Madrid in the final.
