Borussia Dortmund: A machine for expensive sales. Which stars left BVB?

Few clubs can value their players as much as Borussia Dortmund. The club has sent out several players whose value has skyrocketed during their tenure. Next up is Erling Haaland.

Robert Lewandowski

Let’s start with a slightly different case, one that Borussia may not have made money on, but showed what a great eye for talent they have. Lewandowski arrived at Signal Iduna Park in 2010 from Lech Poznan for just €4.7 million. He helped Borussia to two league titles and a Champions League final. But he eventually left for Bayern Munich for free at the end of his contract.

Ousmane Dembélé

An example of the perfect investment. Borussia brought promising youngster Dembélé from Rennes for €35 million in the summer of 2016. The very next year, Barcelona shelled out €140 million for the French winger. With Dembélé’s career in Catalonia plagued by injuries, BVB came out the best of all parties.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Aubameyang came to Dortmund in 2013, BVB paid Saint-Etienne 13 million euros. The Gabonese marksman netted a lot of goals in the yellow and black jersey and after five seasons he left for Arsenal for 63 million euros.

Jadon Sancho

Another prime example of finding a diamond on the cheap, polishing it and selling it at a huge profit is Jadon Sancho. Borussia found the English youngster in Manchester City’s academy and paid just under €8 million for him in 2017. Sancho quickly became a key player for Borussia and one of the most wanted youngsters around the world. After four years at Dortmund, he left for Manchester United for €85 million.

Erling Haaland

Dortmund’s freshest scouting product. Haaland came to Borussia from Salzburg in January 2020 for €20 million, now he’s leaving for Manchester City for €60 million plus bonuses. His sum could have been much higher given his market value, but the late agent Mino Raiola negotiated a buy-out clause in the player’s favour.

Ilkay Gündogan

In 2011, Borussia brought Ilkay Gündogan from Nuremberg for 5 million. He very quickly became a key midfielder for BVB and even scored a goal from a penalty in the 2013 Champions League final. Manchester City bought him for €27 million in 2016.

Christian Pulisic

In 2015, Borussia pulled a completely unknown youngster Christian Pulisic from Pennsylvania, USA. He acclimatised quickly in Dortmund and impressed with his performances. In 2019, Chelsea did not hesitate to pay 64 million euros for him.

Henrikh Mkhitariyan

Another great discovery of Borussia. Mkhitaryan was brought in from Shakhtar for €27 million in 2013, moving to Manchester United three years later for €42 million.

Alexander Isak

Isak, unlike the aforementioned, didn’t make it big at Borussia, but again it shows the good eye of Dortmund scouting. The Swedish midfielder arrived in 2017 for €8 million, but didn’t make it into the A-team, leaving for Real Sociedad for €15 million. He has taken off in La Liga and is currently being courted by giants led by Barcelona, Manchester United and Arsenal. The San Sebastian club are asking around 80 million euros for him.

Source: Transfermarkt