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It's silly season! Now that we have a new coach we'll see a bunch of a new rumors about potential targets for Borussia Dortmund simply because a lot of outlets can create rumors out of thin air at this point. Most of them won't be true so I'd take them with a grain of salt in the coming days and weeks.
- Lucas Alario to replace Aubameyang?
SportBild claim that Borussia Dortmund are scouting Lucas Alario from River Plate. Alario is a 24-year-old striker that has scored 13 goals in 28 games this season with 5 assists. He's a solid striker that could still improve with a good technique and ball control, however it would be surprising if BVB chose to replace Aubameyang with a player who has never played in Europe and is generally unproven. In addition the transfer would be a bit of a mess because of his transfer rights, as with many South American players the transfer rights are split up between a couple clubs, in this case between his current club River Plate and his former club CA Colon. Dortmund would have to negotiate with both clubs if they really want him.
- Passlack out on loan?
Felix Passlack might be the right back of the future for Dortmund but he needs playing time to develop, something BVB might not be able to give him regularly. That is exactly why the 19-year-old might be loaned out for a year or two to get some experience at the highest level, enter VfB Stuttgart. Stuttgart, who are coached by ex-BVB II coach Hannes Wolf, are back in Germany's top flight and are looking to improve their squad. Felix Passlack would be a good addition for them and Dortmund could consider loaning out Passlack to them. Passlack would play for a Bundesliga-team and a coach he knows which could help his development rather than sitting on Dortmund's bench. Hey loaning out a right back to Stuttgart worked out pretty well once for Bayern didn't it?
- First Ajax-rumor!
Expect a lot of those in the coming days. We'll probably be linked to half of Ajax's squad by the end of the week but let's take a look.
Reports in the Netherlands suggest Peter Bosz is interested in bringing Joël Veltman with him to Dortmund. Veltman is a right back that can also play at center back. He's 25 and was a starter for Bosz at Ajax playing in 44 games for Amsterdam last season. Veltman is a decent defender with a propensity to be a little to aggressive sometimes, moreover his skills on offense are fairly limited which might not be the best sign for a system that requires the RB to push up the pitch.
To be honest, out of all the Ajax players we could be linked to this one seems a bit odd. Sure he was a starter for Bosz but he's not an upgrade over Piszczek and has limited potential. There are simply better RBs out there that would be available to a club like Dortmund.
- No "Balo" for Dortmund
Remember all the fuss about Balotelli?
Well you can probably forget it. Like everyone though the comments Raiola made about the Italian were a smoke-screen, probably to generate some hype about his client. Instead Dutch journalist Sander Berends reports that Raiaola was in Dortmund to discuss the transfer of youth player Immanuel Pherai (16) from AZ Alkmaar to Dortmund. Pherai is a defensive midfielder that would play for BVB's youth teams.
Daily Buzz: Do you think any of the rumors are true?