FC Barcelona negotiating with BVB over Karim Adeyemi – agent like Lamine Yamal

The market value of the Dortmund native, born on 18 January 2002, is currently estimated at around 40 million euros. This makes Adeyemi the most valuable Bundesliga professional with a contract expiring in 2027, behind Bayern Munich's Harry Kane. His value was still given as 60 million euros in December 2025, but has since fallen significantly.

Substitute role under Kovac stalled his development

The background to his falling market value is the attacker's changed role under BVB coach Niko Kovac. The fact that he did not make the cut for the 2026 World Cup was also due to the fact that Kovac used him mainly as a substitute, particularly in the second half of the past season. Measured against his modest playing time of 1,836 minutes in 39 matches, the left-footer's output of 16 goal contributions was still respectable.

A move to Barcelona would mean a return to a familiar coach for Adeyemi. Barça coach Hansi Flick turned the winger into a national team player in 2021 during his time as Germany head coach and also nominated him for the World Cup in Qatar. This connection could further facilitate the transfer.

Flick as a common point of reference

The possible transfer takes on a special note due to the identity of the agent. Adeyemi is reportedly represented by the same agent as Barcelona's exceptional talent Lamine Yamal. The change of agent had previously been interpreted in Spanish media as an indication of the player's growing closeness to the Catalans.

However, according to a report by "Kicker", FC Barcelona has not yet made an official offer to BVB. The Spaniards are in contact with the Dortmund professional, but no concrete offer has been submitted yet. The transfer is therefore still at an early stage.

Change of agent as an indicator

The Catalans had recently strengthened their attack with the signing of left winger Anthony Gordon for 80 million euros. Nevertheless, the attack is still considered to have room for improvement. The last remaining centre-forward in Flick's squad, Ferran Torres, is also said to be flirting with a departure if an agreement cannot be reached on his contract, which expires in 2027.

If it goes ahead, the move would not be the first of a BVB professional to Barcelona. In the first half of the 20th century, four Germans wore the Catalan shirt – among them Bernd Schuster (1980–1988). After the turn of the millennium, Robert Enke (2002/03), İlkay Gündoğan (2023/24) and Marc-André ter Stegen, who has been under contract since 2014, followed. In the opposite direction, Barcelona already signed Ousmane Dembélé from BVB in 2017 after a strike – the total fee amounted to 148 million euros.

History between BVB and Barça

On the other side, players have also moved from Barcelona to Dortmund in the past. Marc Bartra came in 2016 for 8 million euros, Paco Alcácer in 2018 for 23 million euros. This history shows that there is an active transfer relationship between the two clubs.

According to the available data, FC Barcelona has a squad of 28 players, a total market value of 506.70 million euros and will be coached by Hansi Flick in LaLiga next season. The Catalans' most recent transfer was Toni Fernández. Borussia Dortmund will go into the Bundesliga with a 30-man squad, is coached by Niko Kovac and most recently signed Mathis Albert.

No official offer yet

If the move goes ahead, Adeyemi would in all likelihood be planned as a backup for the Brazilian winger Raphinha in Barcelona. As one observer noted, however, it is questionable whether the left-footer is technically and in tight spaces up to the standard of FC Barcelona: "Ich sehe das Problem eher bei seinem allgemeinen Level, er wird wohl als Raphinha-Ersatz geplant sein, aber ich sehe ihn technisch und auf engem Raum nicht auf Barca-Level."

In the coming days, both an official offer from Barcelona and a reaction from BVB are to be expected. The sporting management in Dortmund faces the question of whether to integrate the wantaway player in the current pre-season or sell him early in order to at least collect a transfer fee, rather than letting him leave for free in 2027.