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Borussia Dortmund’s name has always been associated with making huge profits from the sale of its stars, to the point that the German club has become one of Europe’s most prominent models of discovering and developing talent and then selling them for huge sums. From Dembele to Bellingham, through Sancho, Haaland and Aubameyang, Dortmund are used to doubling down on their investment and turning their players into historic deals.
However, Karim Adeyemi’s transfer to Barcelona was completely different as the German club made a limited profit compared to what they have been used to in recent years, deviating from their reputation in the transfer market, according to the newspaper.Mundo Deportivo:“Spanish.
Last Thursday, “Barcelona” officially announced its contract with German Karim Adeyemi (24 years old) from “Borussia” Dortmund. The Catalan club paid €22 million as a fixed fee, in addition to another €7 million in variables, bringing the total value of the deal to €29 million.
Although Dortmund preferred to sell the player a year before the end of his contract rather than lose him for free, the deal did not bring the German club to the profit margins it was known for. In the summer of 2022, Borussia Dortmund paid €30 million to sign Adeyemi from Red Bull Salzburg, meaning that the club did not make a net profit from the deal, but rather reduced their financial losses.
Dembele… the deal that made the difference
Ousmane Dembele’s deal remains one of the biggest sales in Borussia Dortmund’s history.
In 2016, the German club signed the French winger from Rennes for just 15 million euros, before selling him to Barcelona in the summer of 2017 for 135 million euros, including bonuses.
Thus, the people of Dortmund achieved a profit of 120 million euros in just one year.
Bellingham… a historic contribution
In the summer of 2020, Borussia Dortmund paid £29 million to sign Jude Bellingham from Birmingham City.
After just three seasons, the England midfielder moved to Real Madrid for £127m, making the German club a profit of around £98m.
Sancho… masterstroke!
Jadon Sancho best embodied the Dortmund philosophy.
The club signed him from Manchester City for around €10 million before selling him to Manchester United two years later for more than eight times that amount in one of the club’s most successful deals.
Pulisic… the gem of the scouts
Dortmund managed to discover the American Christian Pulisic when he was 16 years old and enrolled him in the club’s academy in 2015.
A few years later, the player moved to Chelsea for 64 million euros, adding another successful deal to the club’s record.
Aubameyang…huge profit
In 2013, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang joined Borussia Dortmund from Saint Etienne for 13 million euros.
Four years later, he moved to Arsenal for €63 million, bringing the German club a net profit of €50 million.
Haaland.. a winning deal despite the penalty clause
In 2019, Dortmund acquired Norwegian striker Erling Holland from Red Bull Salzburg for 22 million euros.
Although Manchester City later signed him for just €60 million in 2023 due to a release clause, the German club made a €38 million profit.
Gittens…worthless deal
England winger Jimmy Gittens is another example of Dortmund’s knack for investing in talent.
He joined the club in 2020 on a free transfer from Manchester City before moving to Chelsea in 2025 for €56 million, bringing the club almost a full profit.
Mkhitaryan… a new achievement
In 2013, Dortmund bought Armenian playmaker Henrikh Mkhitaryan from Shakhtar Donetsk for 25 million euros.
Three seasons later, he sold him to Manchester United for 42 million euros, making a profit of 17 million euros.
Goetze. A penalty point determines the transaction
In 2013, Bayern Munich activated Mario Gotze’s release clause, paying 37 million euros for his services.
Dortmund “Borussia” thus received a net profit of 37 million euros from the transfer of the football player, who later won the World Cup 2014 for Germany with his famous goal in the final.
The Karim Adeyemi deal therefore shows that Borussia Dortmund have this time had to part with one of their players on terms that do not reflect their usual philosophy in the transfer market.
Although selling a player a year before the end of his contract is considered a logical decision from an economic point of view, the club did not realize the huge profits they were used to in their previous deals, making Adeyemi’s move to Barcelona one of the most notable exceptions to Dortmund’s huge profit selling.
