So far, the short off-season has been about the players Borussia Dortmund are going to lose rather than gain, but they’re also going to be players in the market, with Lukas Podolski of Arsenal on their sights in hope of bolstering the going-to-be-weakened attack.
A lot has been said about the “poaching” that Dortmund might experience once the season was over, and especially if they don’t win any major titles. Finishing behind Bayern Munich in both the Bundesliga and the Champions League cost them too much in terms of prestige, and made it clear to Premier League teams and other “scavengers” that almost anyone of quality is going to be for sale.
While there is a price for almost any player, Dortmund, already losing Mario Gotze to Bayern Munich, see themselves as a team that can compete with others in the market, as long as it a sane competition without going overboard in their spending.
While it’s unclear when and where Robert Lewandowski will be leaving, they’re already looking for ways to make their attack look threatening once again, attempting to sign Lukas Podolski of Arsenal, who had a so-so debut season in England, and just like most of the top players the Gunners have had over the last few seasons, might be a little too easy to tempt to a club that aspires to be more than simply Champions League qualifiers, not to mention being in a country he is a lot more comfortable in.
Podolski scored 16 goals in 42 matches last season for Arsenal, adding 12 assists in what should be considered a good season more or less, although it looked more than once Arsenal didn’t know what to do with him on the field, with it sometimes costing him his starting position.
He played for FC Koln during his last three seasons in Germany, scoring 32 goals over the last two of them, which didn’t prevent the club from being relegated. Podolski was signed by Arsenal for £10.5 million, which means Dortmund won’t be able to sign him for anything less than €15 million, which might be a bit high for them considering there are others they’re looking to sign, usually looking at younger candidates.