Barcelona are closing in on Karim Adeyemi, with Joan Laporta openly backing the move and Borussia Dortmund giving the forward permission to hold talks with other clubs. The reported package is a €22m fixed fee plus add-ons, although the add-on figure is not settled across reports.

The deal structure

Laporta did not leave much room for doubt. Speaking to sportsmole.co.uk, he said: "We are very excited about Adeyemi. We've liked him for a while. He's dangerous and fast, and Deco handled the signing very well. The news came out when it was meant to."

Dortmund have also made the situation plain enough. In a statement shared by barcauniversal.com, the club said: "Karim Adeyemi and Kjell Watjen will not be participating in today’s performance testing. Both players have been granted time off to hold talks with other clubs."

That is as close as transfer reporting gets to a public green light without the formal announcement itself. The club line, the Barcelona president's praise and the fee being discussed all point in the same direction.

What Barcelona are buying

The appeal is not hard to see. Adeyemi has made 146 Borussia Dortmund appearances, scoring 36 goals and providing 25 assists. He is still a player whose value is tied to pace, direct running and the idea that he can stretch a defence rather than simply recycle possession.

The add-ons remain the only fuzzy part of the deal. Some reports put them at €7m, others at €9m, but the fixed fee has settled at €22m in the reports circulating around the move.

Barcelona's need for another direct attacking option is also obvious from their recent form. They have won three and lost two of their last five league matches, scoring 9 and conceding 6 in that run. It is not a disastrous spell, but it is uneven enough to explain why a player like Adeyemi is being pushed so hard.

Hansi Flick has been described as wanting him in quickly, and Barcelona's move makes sense on that level. This is not being framed as a luxury signing. It is a targeted one, with the club trying to add speed before the window moves on.

The only thing missing now is the official finish. Dortmund have allowed the talks, Laporta has said enough to make the direction clear, and the structure of the deal is already being reported. The final announcement is the next concrete step.

Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 4 outlets. How we work →