The forward is the club’s second attacking addition of the summer following the arrival of Anthony Gordon from Newcastle for €80m
Barcelona have reached an agreement with Borussia Dortmund to sign Karim Adeyemi in a deal worth an initial €22m (£18.7m) plus add-ons.
The agreement also includes a sell-on clause and comes after Dortmund rejected Barcelona’s opening €20m bid earlier this week. The transfer has not yet been completed but is expected to be soon.
This is Barcelona’s second attacking addition of the summer following the arrival of Anthony Gordon from Newcastle for €80m.
Adeyemi has one year remaining on his Dortmund contract and had been open to leaving the Bundesliga club this summer. Although the Premier League had been his preferred destination, with Aston Villa maintaining long-standing interest, Barcelona have moved ahead to secure his signature.
The 24-year-old endured an inconsistent campaign because of injuries and loss of form and was left out of Germany’s World Cup squad. He still finished last season with 10 goals and six assists in 39 appearances, operating mainly as a central forward.
Since arriving from RB Salzburg in 2022, Adeyemi has scored 36 goals and provided 25 assists in 146 matches for Dortmund. He was also a regular during the club’s run to the 2023-24 Champions League final, starting eight of their 12 matches, including the defeat by Real Madrid at Wembley.
What Will Adeyemi Bring to Barcelona?
This was always going to be a summer of rebuild for the Catalans, and truly enough, Barcelona have been reshaping their attack since the transfer window opened.
In terms of departures, Ansu Fati has joined Monaco permanently, Robert Lewandowski left for Chicago Fire at the end of his contract, and the Spanish champions decided against activating the €30m option to sign Marcus Rashford permanently after his loan from Manchester United.
Adeyemi comes in after Gordon was brought in as the main attacking signing on the left wing. His role will be more of providing support across multiple games and serving as a good squad option.
The forward’s arrival is understood to have been strongly backed by Hansi Flick, who views him as a good fit for his setup. Barcelona believe Adeyemi’s pace and work off the ball will strengthen their pressing game. Gordon also offers similar qualities so it is an area highly emphasised by Flick and a particular weakness of Rashford’s.
The signing does not alter Barcelona’s plans to pursue Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez, who remains the club’s leading target as they continue their search for a long-term replacement for Lewandowski.
