BVB Move Closer To Deal

Borussia Dortmund have taken pole position in the race for Konstantinos Karetsas, and the gap to their rivals is widening by the day. The Bundesliga side improved their offer this week to just over thirty million euros, add-ons included. Genk, though, still want more.

Sporting director Ole Book flew officials to Belgium for face to face talks with Genk chief Dimitri De Condé. Dortmund want the deal wrapped up before their preseason trip to Japan. That deadline is adding real urgency to negotiations.

Karetsas himself already appears sold on the move. Personal terms were agreed weeks ago, and sources close to the player suggest his family favours Dortmund over any Serie A alternative. Genk, however, remain firm. Their asking price sits at thirty five million euros guaranteed, with a total package potentially topping forty million once bonuses kick in.

The numbers matter because of what Karetsas represents. Just eighteen, the Greek international racked up eleven assists in the Belgian Pro League last season. Few teenagers anywhere in Europe created chances at that rate. Dortmund see him as the direct successor to Julian Brandt, whose contract expired this summer and left a creative gap in midfield.

Milan Lurk As Genk Hold Firm

AC Milan haven’t given up, despite trailing in the race. Reports out of Italy claim Karetsas would even prefer a move to Milan over Dortmund, though no formal bid has landed yet. That gap between reported preference and actual paperwork favours Dortmund for now.

Money remains the sticking point. Genk have rejected every Dortmund offer so far, and Karetsas would rank among the club’s most expensive sales in years. Dortmund reportedly plan to fund part of the deal through Karim Adeyemi’s expected exit to Barcelona, a transfer worth over thirty million euros on its own.

Chelsea, once considered contenders, now look off the pace entirely. With Dortmund’s delegation already in Belgium and an agreement in principle intact with the player, momentum clearly favours the German club. Genk, though, aren’t budging easily, and this saga still has room to run.

For more on Europe’s biggest transfer sagas, head to the KCPredict blog. Further background on Karetsas’s rise is available via Get German Football News.