As a Kobel replacement, Noah Atubolu was on BVB's radar | OneFootball

Compared to recent years, things have been fairly quiet at Borussia Dortmund this summer regarding Gregor Kobel, aside from vague speculation about potential long-term interest from Real Madrid. Despite an impressive World Cup, the Swiss national team goalkeeper’s stay was never really in doubt, so BVB’s decision-makers did not have to pursue a Plan B for the position between the posts either.

Had Kobel left the club, Noah Atubolu would likely have become a hot topic, according to information from kicker. According to the magazine, the 24-year-old would then have been “highly rated” in Dortmund.

At the moment, however, Atubolu—who, after what appears to be the definitive end of the Manuel Neuer era, is also considered a candidate for the German national team—finds himself in a difficult situation. The former Germany U21 goalkeeper announced early on that he would not extend his contract with SC Freiburg beyond 2027 and wanted to leave the club this summer. But a good two weeks before the transfer deadline on September 1, the German-Nigerian is still without a new club, while Freiburg have long since signed Mio Backhaus from SV Werder Bremen as their new number one.

Three clubs still interested

Dortmund is no longer an option for Atubolu, and reported interest from AC Milan and Aston Villa, floated by the Epic Sports agency, would likely only have arisen if both clubs had lost their first-choice goalkeepers (Mike Maignan and Emiliano Martinez respectively) — which has not happened and probably will not happen this summer either.

Photo: IMAGO / Ball Raw Images

As a way out, Olympique Marseille, AFC Bournemouth, and Napoli may now still remain for Atubolu, with all three said to be interested. The Marseille trail appears to be the most concrete, as the southern French club is said to have already submitted an offer — but one so low that Freiburg saw no basis for further negotiations.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.