Dortmund wonderkid Moukoko set for surprise transfer

Stuart Telford

• 19 Nov 2023 07:03 CST
• 3 min read

Borussia Dortmund prodigy Youssoufa Moukoko was previously linked with Manchester United, Barcelona and others, but a surprise move within the Bundesliga now looks like his most likely next transfer.

Moukoko burst onto the scene with Dortmund last season, with seven goals and four assists plundered at a rate of one every 103 minutes he played as Dortmund finished as runners-up to Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga.

A full Germany international at 18, his contract at the Signal Iduna Park was up this summer before an extension signed in January, and some of the biggest clubs in the game had been circling.

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But the Cameroon-born youngster seems to have lost Dortmund coach Edin Terzic's faith this season, not starting any of his seven Bundesliga appearances, and now a move to relegation-threatened Cologne has been floated.

Moukoko to Cologne?

"1. FC Köln are looking for the saviour striker, and seem to have found the ideal candidate," report SportBild. "He is high on Cologne's list, and Dortmund are open to him leaving after a disappointing start to the season.

"He is currently only getting regular football with Germany's U21s, but wants to go to the European Championships next summer, with a club restart in Cologne."

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Moukoko is valued at €22.5 million by FootballTransfers' in-house algorithm, while the most Cologne gave ever spent on a player is the €17m they paid Mainz for Jhon Cordoba in 2017, so they would need to set a new club record to sign him permanently.

A loan is perhaps more likely given the circumstances, but from securing a free transfer to the Premier League or Barcelona - or indeed Bayern Munich - to signing for Cologne, Moukoko must be questioning his decision to extend at Dortmund last winter.