Million-euro bid rejected: BVB reportedly miss out on Bundesliga starlet | OneFootball

One of the breakout stars of last Bundesliga season is said to have attracted the interest of Borussia Dortmund. However, BVB allegedly saw a €20 million offer rejected by Mainz 05.

Borussia Dortmund are said to have suffered an initial setback in their pursuit of Mainz talent Kacper Potulski. According to media reports from Poland, the club from Rheinhessen rejected a €20 million bid from BVB for the 18-year-old centre-back.

As Przeglad Sportowy reports, Mainz are demanding significantly more money for the Poland U21 international, who was one of the big surprises of last Bundesliga season. Potulski is still under contract with FSV until 2028, and there is reportedly no release clause in his deal.

The 1.95-meter-tall defender joined Mainz in 2023 from the youth academy of Legia Warsaw and worked his way up through the club’s youth teams to the senior squad. Potulski has now made 23 competitive appearances for the first team. His goal in the 2-2 draw against Bayern Munich in Munich remains particularly memorable, as it was the moment he first attracted nationwide attention.

BVB allegedly rebuffed in move for Mainz gem Potulski

A few weeks ago, former Schalke pro Tomasz Hajto had already spoken publicly about the interest of several top clubs. “According to my contacts, several teams from Germany already have Kacper on their radar — such as Leverkusen and Dortmund,” Hajto explained on Polsat Sport. Clubs from England and Italy are also said to be closely monitoring the defender’s development.

Photo: IMAGO

However, there has so far been no confirmation that BVB’s alleged €20 million approach actually took place. In any case, it remains questionable whether Dortmund even see any further need at centre-back after signing Joane Gadou. According to kicker, those in charge are currently not planning any additional reinforcement in central defense, also so as not to block the path of talents like Luca Reggiani or Filippo Mane.

Despite his rapid rise, the second half of the season did not go entirely smoothly for Potulski. Under Mainz coach Urs Fischer, the talent temporarily lost his place in the starting lineup and spent several full matches on the bench. Hajto strongly criticized the handling of the youngster: “Kacper always took his chances and delivered strong performances.”

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