Dortmund edge closer to signing Adeyemi despite Man Utd interest

Sebastian Kehl

believes

are "on the right track" in their pursuit of

striker

.

Kehl, who will take over as sporting director from a player licensing role at Dortmund next season, expressed optimism that the Bundesliga giants will sign a player who has also been linked with Manchester United.

It's possible that Adeyemi will take over for

Erling Haaland

, who looks set to leave Dortmund after two and a half years of outstanding service. Haaland is another former Salzburg player who has thrived in the German Bundesliga since leaving the Austrian league, with Manchester City tipped to sign the Norway striker in a big-money transfer.

Adeyemi is a full Germany international with three caps and a three-time Austrian Bundesliga champion, so his signing would be a coup for Dortmund. According to Sky Sports, Kehl said: "Over the course of the week, my gut feeling improved. We're heading in the right direction."

According to reports in England, United attempted to sign Adeyemi but were turned down by the player, who preferred a return to Nigeria over a move to the Premier League.

Adeyemi, a technically gifted and quick forward, has long been regarded as one of Germany's most promising young players, having joined Salzburg from Unterhaching for a reported €3 million when he was 16 years old. Adeyemi had graduated from Bayern Munich's youth system six years prior.

He is the top scorer in Austria's top flight this season, with 17 goals in 26 games, as well as three goals and one assist in eight Champions League games – a European campaign that ended in a last-16 loss to

Bayern Munich

. While Haaland's departure would undoubtedly be detrimental to Dortmund, Adeyemi's possible arrival would add to what appears to be a strong transfer window for BVB, which has already reached agreements with Niklas Sule and Nico Schlotterbeck.

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