Borussia Dortmund sign Marcel Sabitzer

Borussia Dortmund signed midfielder Marcel Sabitzer from Bundesliga rival Bayern Munich on Monday, bolstering their alternatives following the departure of Jude Bellingham 

The 29 year old penned down a contract till June 2027 and will join his new teammates in the United States on Dortmund’s summer tour. 

"He fits the profile that we were looking for exactly -- a central midfielder who will strengthen us both defensively and offensively as a box-to-box player," Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl said. "Marcel is physically strong and also carries an immense goal threat.

"We're convinced that he will also become an important pillar of our team thanks to his personality and will help us to be even more effective, especially in hard-fought matches”

Dortmund were apparently paying Bayern €15-20 million euros ($17-22 million) for the Austrian international. 

Sabitzer was a key member of the Leipzig squad before he followed coach Julian Nagelsmann to Bayern in 2021. But he struggled to find his place in the starting XI and was eventually loaned to Manchester United for the second half of the season. 

The midfielder could only find the back of the net on 2 occasions in 54 appearances for Bayern and the same again in 14 English Premier League and Europa League competitive games for United. 

Sabitzer is Dortmund’s second personnel in midfield after the signing of Felix Nmecha from Wolfsburg to make up for Bellingham’s departure. The German Giants have replaced left back Raphaël Guerreiro, who joined Bayern with Borussia Monchengladbach’s Ramy Bensebaini.