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This content was machine-translated from the French version.
The transfer machine knows no respite at the start of August, less than four weeks before the summer market closes. This Monday, August 3, Borussia Dortmund made official the arrival of their Belgian-Greek gem Konstantinos Karetsas for 33 million euros, while Liverpool opened a channel with PSG regarding Bradley Barcola. In England, Crystal Palace keeps a close eye on Axel Disasi.
Dortmund breaks the bank for Karetsas
Konstantinos Karetsas, 18, signed this Monday with the Ruhr club on a contract running until 2031.
Borussia Dortmund has its new offensive jewel. Konstantinos Karetsas, 18, signed this Monday with the Ruhr club on a contract running until 2031. The transfer, valued at 33 million euros, far exceeds the fees once paid by BVB for Jude Bellingham and Erling Haaland at the same age, making it the heaviest investment ever made by Dortmund on a player under twenty.
Trained at Racing Genk, the Belgian-Greek attacking midfielder comes off a full season in the Jupiler Pro League with 49 appearances and 3 goals in all competitions. The Limburg club had let the information leak as early as last week, mentioning on its networks the biggest outgoing transfer in its history. "Born and raised here," Genk had teased, before BVB confirmed what all Belgian football had been expecting for several days. The medical, completed on Sunday according to Goal.com, revealed no obstacles.
AC Milan, long positioned on this case, had to give up in the face of German financial power. Karetsas joins a squad already rich in young offensive talents and will wear the number left vacant by Jamie Bynoe-Gittens' departure to the Premier League. For Dortmund, this recruitment sends a clear signal to the Bundesliga: the club intends to remain Bayern Munich's first adversary.
Barcola, PSG under English pressure
In Paris, the Bradley Barcola case could take a turn in the coming days. Liverpool has reportedly multiplied contacts with the player's entourage and is preparing a formal offer to Paris Saint-Germain, according to information from DHNet and RMC Sport. The 23-year-old French international winger, who arrived from Lyon in the summer of 2023, remains under contract until 2028, but the Reds' interest is anything but superficial.
The British press mentions a possible agreement between the two clubs that would facilitate the operation. PSG, constrained by financial fair play requirements after its early summer shopping, could accept a departure provided it obtains a fee higher than the 45 million euros invested three years ago. Luis Campos, Parisian sporting director, denied any advanced negotiations on Monday noon, but intermediaries are working actively on both sides of the Channel.
Disasi, Palace and the Chelsea puzzle
Axel Disasi could leave Chelsea before the market closes, scheduled for August 31. The French central defender, loaned to West Ham last season, has concrete leads with Crystal Palace, which seeks to strengthen its central defense. Chelsea is asking between 20 and 30 million euros for a player recruited for 38 million from Monaco in 2023, a loss that the Blues seem ready to accept to lighten their bloated squad.
Olympique de Marseille and AS Monaco had inquired earlier this summer, without following up on the player's salary demands. Crystal Palace, which has already made Maxence Lacroix official for 52 million euros, is looking for a second right-sided center-back and sees in Disasi an experienced complement to its young defense. Discussions continue between the two London clubs, and an outcome could occur before the end of the week.
A market that accelerates
Beyond these three cases, Tuesday could bring its share of official announcements. Dortmund is already preparing Karetsas' presentation to the press, while the Barcola-Liverpool saga enters a decisive phase. The summer 2026 transfer window, for its part, certainly hasn't said its last word.