Frontrunner emerges as Borussia Dortmund battle Bayern Munich for Southampton player | OneFootball

Borussia Dortmund are moving ahead of Bayern Munich in the race for Southampton’s Armel Bella-Kotchap, although there is still work to do to get the deal done.

Armel Bella-Kotchap attracts European interest

Following their relegation from the Premier League, the Saints knew there was a possibility that they would lose several key men, and Bella-Kotchap falls into that category.

The 21-year-old joined the club from Bochum last year in a £10m deal, and he was one of few who emerged with credit in what was a disappointing campaign for the south coast outfit.

Therefore, it’s perhaps no surprise there is interest in the player, with many clubs linked over the summer, as Saints look for a £25m fee, which would represent a substantial profit on Bella-Kotchap.

Borussia Dortmund press ahead to sign Bella-Kotchap

German giants Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund have been named as serious suitors for the centre-back in recent weeks, and the Sky Sports Transfer Centre (20:13) gave an update on the battle, with the latter now in the driving seat to get the player.

“Borussia Dortmund have moved ahead of Bayern Munich in the race to sign Southampton defender Armel Bella-Kotchap, according to Sky in Germany. Bayern’s focus on signing Chelsea’s Trevoh Chalobah to bolster their defensive options has given Dortmund the chance to step up their pursuit of Bella-Kotchap.

“Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg reports that the Bella-Kotchap deal still has a way to go, though. Dortmund’s proposal includes a £6.8m loan fee with a £17.2m obligation to buy next summer, plus at least another £4m in bonus payments.”

Is this a good deal for Southampton?

The figures mentioned make this look like a very good bit of business by Saints.

Firstly, Bella-Kotchap is under contract until 2026 and he didn’t have a release clause, so the club were under no pressure to sell. But, it is always going to be tough to keep hold of a player when a club like Borussia Dortmund comes in for him, so it’s about getting the right price.

Crucially, as an obligation, the update indicates that Southampton will receive £24m guaranteed, with the bulk of that coming next year, and a further £4m in add-ons. For a player that cost £10m, that would represent a good sale.

From a football perspective, it would be a blow, as Bella-Kotchap is a young player who has the potential to go on to become a top class centre-back. However, for the short-term, Russell Martin hasn’t used the player this season due to injury, and they’ve still got results.

A new defender will need to replace Bella-Kotchap, with Southampton working on deals to strengthen that area of the pitch.

What next for Southampton?

It’s going to be a frantic final two days of the window for Southampton, and it’s clear that Martin wants several new signings, which is understandable given the funds that have been brought in.

So, it will be very interesting to see what transfers happen ahead of the 11pm deadline on Friday night.

Saints are back in action on Saturday, when they make the long trip up north to take on Sunderland.