Borussia Dortmund sign Germany wonderkid Karim Adeyemi from RB Salzburg
Borussia Dortmund have moved quickly to bolster their attacking ranks with the signing of 20-year-old Germany international Karim Adeyemi from Red Bull Salzburg.
Adeyemi signs a five-year deal at the Signal Iduna Park after an impressive 2021/22 campaign with Red Bull Salzburg that has seen him involved in 25 goals in 39 appearances for the Austrian champions.
"As a young boy I was fascinated by Dortmund's fast-paced football," Adeyemi told the official club website. "So when I learned of Dortmund's interest, I knew straight away that I wanted to join BVB. I consciously signed a long-term contract because I'm convinced we'll be an exciting team and with the support of the fans, in the medium-term we'll be able to compete for and win the title."
The Munich-native has emerged as one of the hottest young talents in Europe, scoring 16 times and laying on three assists in 25 league games this term as well as contributing three goals and two provisions in the UEFA Champions League.
That helped Salzburg qualify for the knockout stage of the competition, and Dortmund coach Marco Rose - who signed Adeyemi while head coach of Salzburg in 2018 - will be hoping the centre-forward can successfully follow in the footsteps of the departing Erling Haaland in continuing that form in Germany.
Adeyemi began his career at TSV Forstenried before joining the youth ranks of Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich, where he spent two years from age eight to 10-years-old from 2010/12.
He then made the move to Unterhaching before swapping his homeland for neighbouring Austria, where he has been a revelation.
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Back-to-back league and cup doubles have come Adeyemi's way in the past two campaigns, while the 2019 Under-17 Fritz Walter gold winner both won the UEFA Under-21 European Championship and made his senior debut for Germany in 2021.
The young striker's impact was immediate for Hansi Flick's side, scoring on his debut in the 6-0 win over Armenia in 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifying and Adeyemi now has three caps to his name for Die Mannschaft.
"Karim is a highly talented, young Germany international, whose incredible pace and finishing ability will help our attacking play," said outbound Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc.
Sebastian Kehl, who will take over from Zorc from 2022/23 onwards, added: "Following the transfers of Niklas Süle and Nico Schlotterbeck, in Karim another very exciting player is joining us for the coming season. And he's one who's heart beat for Black-and-Yellow even as a youngster, and who decided to join Dortmund despite having offers from across Europe's top leagues. His pace and goal threat are impressive, and even though Karim is already very far along in his development despite being just 20, we still see plenty more untapped potential in him."
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