Lars Ricken discusses Borussia Dortmund’s remaining transfer plans | OneFootball

Borussia Dortmund Managing Director Lars Ricken has indicated that the club could still strengthen its squad before the start of the new Bundesliga season, despite expressing satisfaction with the work already completed during the transfer window.

Speaking to Sky after Dortmund’s final pre-season friendly in Japan, Ricken reflected on the squad’s development and the club’s recruitment strategy.

Addressing whether there were still areas of the squad that needed reinforcing, he said:

“First of all, we have quite a lot of players, and it was primarily our aim to compensate for the departures. We agreed that we have certainly succeeded in doing that with Joane Gadou and hopefully also Konstantinos Karetsas.”

Gadou is expected to fill the void left by Niklas Süle’s departure in central defence, while Karetsas has been identified as the long-term successor to Julian Brandt. Although multiple reports claim the highly rated Greek youngster has already signed his contract with Dortmund, the club is not expected to officially announce the transfer until next week.

Ricken believes both signings are capable of making an immediate impact while also offering significant room for development.

“They can help immediately, but also have plenty of development potential,” he explained.

However, the Dortmund chief also suggested the club’s transfer activity may not be over, revealing that BVB could still “do one or two more things” before the window closes.

That comment naturally prompted questions about a potential move for Said El Mala. Ricken refused to be drawn on the speculation, insisting Borussia Dortmund would not publicly discuss players who are not under contract with the club.

According to several media reports, Dortmund remain keen to sign the Germany U21 international from 1. FC Köln. A reported €50 million asking price has surrounded the player for several months, although BVB are said to have no intention of meeting that valuation.