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After a week of speculation, it looks as if Moritz Leitner’s time in Dortmund has officially come to an end.
El mediocampista alemán Moritz Leitner es nuevo jugador de la Lazio. Llega procedente del Borussia Dortmund.
— Futbol_Mercado (@Futbol_Mercado) August 10, 2016
TRANSLATION: German Midfielder Moritz Leitner is the new player for Lazio. Arrives previously from Borussia Dortmund.
The 23-year-old German midfielder is set to link up with former Dortmund striker Ciro Immobile with S.S. Lazio of the Italian Serie A.
The deal is reportedly worth approximately €2 Million plus bonuses. Leitner was brought in by Lazio to replace the recently departed Ogenyi Onazi.
Leitner came to Dortmund in January of 2011 from 1860 Munich. He finished the remainder of the 2011 season on-loan at FC Augsburg. For the 2011/12 Bundesliga season, Leitner made 22 appearances with Dortmund including four starts.
His role seemed to expand in the 2012/13 season, playing in 30 matches. But for Leitner, he could never seem to break through into a full-time starting role. He did, however, score a goal this past season in Europa League competition.
After the acquisitions of Andre Schurrle, Mario Gotze, Mikel Merino, and Sebastian Rode, there was just no room for Leitner on the squad.
Even before his new club made the announcement official, Leitner was spotted on the Lazio training ground alongside old-friend Immobile.
Scatto dopo scatto, ecco tutto l'allenamento di questo pomeriggio ➡️ https://t.co/cd2WQgW0f3 pic.twitter.com/Genknm2zQW
— SS Lazio (@OfficialSSLazio) August 10, 2016
Leitner underwent a medical earlier this week and continued training with the club on Thursday. Upon arriving in Rome, Leitner told Italian media outlet Lalaziosiamonoi "I’m happy to be here. I expected to come. It’s the right choice.”
Best of luck, Mo! Maybe we’ll see you in European football soon.