BVB's surprise winner: a pro deal now beckons | OneFootball

After a strong pre-season, a BVB talent is on the verge of taking the next step in his career. The 17-year-old is set to be tied down to Borussia Dortmund for the long term.

Borussia Dortmund are apparently pushing ahead with the long-term commitment of young talent Enzo Duarte. As Sky reports, the 17-year-old midfielder is expected to sign a long-term professional contract with BVB later this week. Duarte is currently tied to the Black and Yellows through a youth development deal that runs until 2028.

The Luxembourger has earned this next step above all through his performances in pre-season. Duarte was given the chance to train with the first team under coach Niko Kovac and apparently made a strong impression there. His development is also rated very highly within the club: according to Sky, the youngster has now “risen right to the top” in the internal ranking of Dortmund’s talents. The planned professional contract would be the result of his positive development.

Duarte joined Dortmund on a free transfer in January 2025. Since then, he has gained plenty of match practice in BVB’s youth setup. In 36 competitive appearances, he racked up just under 2,500 minutes, scored two goals and set up another seven. His preferred position is central midfield, where the fluent German-speaking Luxembourger feels particularly comfortable in the box-to-box role.

BVB talent Enzo Duarte set for professional contract

Despite his young age, Duarte has already gained some experience on the international stage. In June 2025, he made his debut for the Luxembourg senior national team at the age of just 16 years, four months and 13 days. That made him the third-youngest international in Luxembourg’s history. At the same time, he set a special record from Dortmund’s perspective: no BVB player had ever been younger when making his debut for a senior national team.

Photo: IMAGO

In doing so, Duarte bettered the previous marks of former Dortmund wonderkids Nuri Sahin and Youssoufa Moukoko, among others. Duarte has now made five appearances for the national team. On 6 June, he started for Luxembourg for the first time against Albania.

Now the next milestone could follow. With a long-term professional contract, Borussia Dortmund would not only reward Duarte’s performances during pre-season, but also secure the future of one of their currently highly rated talents at an early stage.

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