Serhou Guirassy's Future at Borussia Dortmund in Question
Serhou Guirassy is edging towards the exit at Borussia Dortmund. Not because of the city, not because of the coach as a person, but because of the football.
Sky Sport report that the 30-year-old has decided he wants to leave this summer, dissatisfied with BVB’s style of play under Niko Kovac despite what is described as a good personal relationship with the coach. At 30, with his prime years ticking away, Guirassy is said to be pushing for a new challenge.
On paper, his situation looks straightforward. A €40 million release clause. Seven top clubs monitoring him. Names like Real Madrid and Manchester City in the mix. Yet no one has pulled the trigger. The clause remains untouched.
Instead, the real movement is coming from a different tier of suitors. AC Milan, Fenerbahce and Tottenham Hotspur are all chasing the Guinean international, but they cannot simply pay the clause and walk away with him. To land Guirassy, they need to sit down with Dortmund and negotiate, because the striker’s contract at BVB runs through to 2028 and, crucially, the club are not ready to give up on him.
Inside the club, there is resistance to the idea of a sale. Guirassy arrived from VfB Stuttgart in 2024 and has delivered: 21 goals and six assists in 45 appearances. That output is hard to replace, and Dortmund’s hierarchy know it. Finding a striker with similar numbers and profile would be expensive, and the market for centre-forwards is already brutal.
So BVB are fighting back.
Sporting director Ole Book has already met Guirassy to present the club’s case for staying. Lars Ricken and Kovac are expected to join the talks as Dortmund try to persuade their No. 9 that his future still lies in yellow and black. The message from the boardroom is clear: they want him to remain the focal point of their attack. Whether that is enough to outweigh his misgivings about the playing style will shape Dortmund’s summer.
While Guirassy weighs up his options, another Dortmund player is dealing with a very different kind of uncertainty.
Ramaj loses his place – and faces an unclear future
Until last weekend, Diant Ramaj was the undisputed No. 1 at 1. FC Heidenheim. Then came the trip to Cologne. The team won 3-1, but it was Frank Feller, not the on-loan BVB keeper, standing in goal.
Frank Schmidt did not hide his reasoning. The Heidenheim coach explained that Feller had entered pre-season as the likely first-choice goalkeeper before injury sidelined him for months. Recently, his form in training had impressed, and Schmidt felt the time was right to reward him.
His words before kick-off were telling. He highlighted Feller’s strong training performances, pointed to the team’s poor away record, and framed the change as both a reward and a gamble for a bit of luck on a must-win day. The decision paid off on the scoreboard.
Ramaj, for his part, admitted he had “expected” the demotion. Schmidt underlined the club’s internal culture: direct communication, no sugar-coating, no leaving players guessing. Even bad news is delivered straight. That honesty, he argued, underpins the team spirit that keeps Heidenheim believing they can still escape relegation after the win in Cologne.
The shift leaves Ramaj likely on the bench again for Saturday’s season finale against Mainz 05. Once that match is done, his loan ends and he returns to Dortmund. BVB only signed the 24-year-old from Ajax Amsterdam in February 2025, tying him down until 2029, but his long-term role is far from secure.
According to WAZ, the Bundesliga runners-up are even considering a sale. For Ramaj, the coming weeks could define whether he fights for a spot in Dortmund’s goal or becomes a tradeable asset in a busy transfer window.
Youth stage set: Dortmund kids chase international silverware
While the seniors wrestle with contracts and careers, Dortmund’s next generation are chasing a trophy.
On Tuesday at 8 pm, a combined Borussia Dortmund U19/U23 side will contest the final of the Premier League International Cup against a Real Madrid selection. The competition stretches over several months and matches England’s top U21 teams against elite international youth sides, a proving ground for players on the cusp of senior football.
Dortmund’s youngsters have already carved out an impressive path. In the December–January group stage, they beat Leeds United, West Ham United and AFC Sunderland, progressing despite a defeat to Manchester United. The knockout rounds were no softer: Everton fell in the quarter-finals, Real Sociedad in the semi-finals at the end of April.
Felix Hirschnagl, Dortmund’s U19 coach, expects a classic Spanish test in the final. He described Real as a side that dominates the ball, presses high and looks to control the game. U23 coach Daniel Rios made it equally clear that Dortmund will not abandon their identity for the occasion. He stressed that they will not suddenly drop deep or become markedly more defensive, convinced that their own style with and without the ball gives them the best chance to beat a very strong opponent.
The squad reflects that ambition. Filippo Mane and Almugera Kabar are involved, as is 16-year-old Mathis Albert, who already has a Bundesliga debut to his name after appearing in the 4-0 win over Freiburg at the end of April.
For Guirassy, the story is about whether he walks away from Dortmund’s project. For Ramaj, it is about whether he remains part of it at all. For the club’s youth, the question is simpler and sharper: can they turn potential into a trophy on a European stage?
