You can see the reasoning why Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund might be looking to sell Thomas Delaney as Southampton and Crystal Palace reportedly circle.
With one year left on his contract and just weeks away from his 30th birthday, the Denmark international has fallen behind Jude Bellingham and a revitalised Mo Dahoud in the BVB pecking order, starting just 14 league games last season
Belgium international Axel Witsel, meanwhile, has returned to action after four months on the sidelines while Abdoulaye Kamara could make an immediate impact after becoming the latest wonder kid to turn his back on Paris Saint-Germain.
What is more, with four Premier League clubs threatening to go head to head for Delaney’s signature, Dortmund may hope a bidding war between Crystal Palace, Southampton, Norwich City and Watford will drive his price tag well beyond a rumoured fee of £9 million (BILD).
Will Thomas Delaney leave Dortmund for Crystal Palace or Southampton?
So, financially speaking, a sale makes sense as far as the Dortmund board is concerned.
But the influential Die Schwarzgelben faithful care little about profit and balance sheets.
With his all-action style and affable personality, Delaney strikes a chord with a largely working-class fanbase. And the Great Dane’s departure, while nowhere near as damaging to the club as that of Jadon Sancho or Erling Haaland, would hit supporters hard.
Given the way Delaney performed for Denmark during their unexpected march to the final four at Euro 2020, the former Werder Bremen and Copenhagen star still has a lot to offer even as he enters his next decade.
Here’s what some Dortmund fans on Twitter thought about the situation surrounding Delaney and the reported Premier League interest:
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