Barcelona Refuse to Meet Dortmund's €40m Adeyemi Price, Confident of Getting Deal Done Cheaper

Certainty level: personal terms agreed, fee still unresolved. Barcelona will not match Borussia Dortmund's €40 million asking price for Karim Adeyemi and remain confident of getting the deal done well below that figure, Fabrizio Romano reported on July 9. Adeyemi only wants Barcelona and will not sign a new contract at Dortmund, meaning he would eventually be free to sign for any club from January if no summer deal is reached.

How the standoff has played out

Barcelona's opening bid was €20 million, which Dortmund rejected, according to Marca. Marca separately reported Dortmund's real floor is closer to the €33 million they paid to sign Adeyemi from Red Bull Salzburg in 2022, though the club has publicly held out for €40 million. Barcelona have since explored including a player in the deal to lower the cash outlay, a move first reported by Barca Universal.

Why Dortmund's position is weaker than the number suggests

Adeyemi has only one year left on his contract and was not an undisputed starter for Dortmund last season, with performances described as inconsistent over the past two campaigns by Barca Universal. That combination, an expiring deal and a player publicly committed to one destination, is what's given Barcelona's camp the confidence to hold their price down rather than move toward Dortmund's number.

Why Barcelona want him

Head coach Hansi Flick, who has worked with Adeyemi in the Germany national setup, is described as a key driver of the move, seeing his pace and directness as suited to Flick's system, according to Goal.com. Barcelona view Adeyemi as an experienced addition to complement rather than replace Roony Bardghji, and Romano's reporting indicates the club's separate pursuit of Julian Alvarez as a new striker is unaffected by the Adeyemi talks.