Dortmund Faces Challenge as Konstantelias Injured – Sancho Talks Resurface

Borussia Dortmund’s season had barely started when the air went out of Signal Iduna Park.

Giannis Konstantelias, the 23-year-old Greek playmaker signed from PAOK Saloniki for 26 million euros, tore his cruciate ligament in the 2-0 opening win over Hamburger SV on Bundesliga matchday one. The diagnosis is brutal: he will be out for “several months”.

On X, the club tried to rally around their new arrival. “The entire BVB family is behind you, Giannis! You will come back stronger!” the runners-up posted. Sporting managing director Lars Ricken struck a similar chord, but with a clear sense of loss.

“This news hits us hard, because Giannis has already shown in a very short space of time why we see him as a great player for Borussia Dortmund. For now, however, his and our focus is first and foremost on his recovery. Giannis has our full support in that,” Ricken said.

The blow feels even heavier because Konstantelias had announced himself in style. On his Bundesliga debut he scored, buzzing between the lines and offering exactly the kind of spark Dortmund thought they had bought. Then came a seemingly harmless duel early in the second half. He twisted his knee, went down, stayed down.

He walked off after lengthy treatment, but the signs were ominous. Heads dropped on the bench, staff looked grim, and Konstantelias’ expression said more than any medical report.

Now Dortmund must answer an urgent question.

Who replaces Konstantelias?

The clock is ticking. The summer transfer window shuts on Tuesday, 1 September, at 8pm. Inside the club, nobody is pretending this can be handled with a shrug.

Ricken had already hinted on Saturday evening that BVB might have to react. “Depending on how serious the injury actually is, we will shape our next steps accordingly. One thing is certain, though: we won't be doing nothing over the next three days.”

So the search begins – both inside and outside the squad.

One internal option is Fabio Silva. The forward is currently frustrated with his role and has been repeatedly linked with a quick departure after just one season in Dortmund. That exit now looks far less likely. Konstantelias’ absence changes the equation. Silva, whether he likes it or not, suddenly becomes more important to the depth chart.

Yet Silva is a stopgap, not a like-for-like replacement for a creative, nimble attacker who can unpick tight defences.

Which is where a familiar name re-enters the conversation.

Sancho, again

Jadon Sancho, still without a club, could once more become a serious target for the BVB hierarchy. On paper, he fits almost perfectly. Like Konstantelias, he can create danger from a standing start, beat his man, and inject tempo in one movement. He belongs to the same profile of player as Konstantelias and Konstantinos Karetsas: technically sharp, explosive, unpredictable.

Speculation over yet another Sancho return has never fully disappeared in recent weeks and months. It only quietened after the arrivals of Karetsas and Konstantelias, which seemed to close that door.

Now it creaks open again.

Sancho’s best football came in yellow and black. In Dortmund he became one of Europe’s most exciting wide players, a star who turned games and lit up the Südtribüne. Since his contract at Manchester United expired, the 26-year-old has been without a club and would be available on a free transfer.

From a financial standpoint, that makes him a low-risk move. No fee, just wages and bonuses to negotiate. But there is a catch. For a third spell at BVB, Sancho would have to accept a significant pay cut compared to his Premier League earnings.

There is also the sporting gamble. Can he still reach the level that once made him one of the Bundesliga’s standout players? His recent loan spells at Chelsea and Aston Villa were largely disappointing, raising doubts about whether that old Sancho still exists.

Dortmund now stand at a familiar crossroads: trust what they already have and hope internal solutions step up, or turn again to a former hero whose name still echoes around the stadium, but whose present form no longer matches the memories.

The window closes on Tuesday night. By then, the club must decide whether Konstantelias’ cruel injury forces their hand – and whether Jadon Sancho is still part of their future, or only their past.