Dortmund boss happy with Chukwuemeka and Fabio Silva deals: "Out of line with market trend" | OneFootball

Borussia Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl has opened up on how the Bundesliga club managed to secure the signings of Carney Chukwuemeka and Fabio Silva from Chelsea and Wolverhampton, respectively.

Chukwuemeka spent the second half of last season and the Club World Cup at Dortmund and wanted to stay. However, reaching an agreement with Chelsea proved difficult until a €20 million fee was ultimately agreed.

“Of course, I could have flown to Chelsea in July, sat down with the bosses, and presented the €20 million offer for Chukwuemeka. But they would probably have said, ‘You can fly home right away!’” Kehl told Sport Bild.

“It takes time and a clear strategy to get your proposals accepted. And it also requires the player’s full commitment.”

Kehl confirmed that Chukwuemeka himself approached the Chelsea bosses and asked to be allowed to leave for that price.

“Carney already knew Dortmund and really wanted to play in black and yellow again,” he emphasized.

Like with Chukwuemeka, Dortmund underwent lengthy negotiations with Wolverhampton Wanderers to sign Fabio Silva before eventually agreeing on a reported base fee of €22.5 million – a very good price from the German club's perspective, according to Kehl.

“A transfer is usually the result of weeks, sometimes months, of work. We had been in close contact with [Fabio Silva's] management since early July and convinced him of us. In the end, we got both players for a price that is completely out of line with the current market trend,” Kehl said.

“Fabio Silva is a really good striker with a brilliant future. And this summer, he won’t even appear in the top 100 most expensive transfers worldwide! Chukwuemeka will rank even further down. That shows just how much money is in the market.”