Transfer Rumor: Borussia Dortmund Pursuing Wolfsburg Defender Maxence Lacroix

With Borussia Dortmund’s top center backs suffering frequent injuries and bouts of poor form, it’s no shock that the club is reportedly in the market for a new defender to man the back line. According to France Football, one player that BVB are particularly interested in is VFL Wolfsburg’s 20-year-old center back, Maxence Lacroix. According to the report, Dortmund could sign him for a transfer fee in the realm of €30 million.

Several english-language sources like Bulinews.com have repeated this same rumor, claiming that FF reported that Lacroix has shown some level of mutual interest in BVB. I’ve gone through the original report from FF, and they don’t explicitly claim this. They argue that Lacroix wants to compete for a spot with the French national team, and that he would have a higher profile at BVB, but they do not outright say that he’s specifically interested in moving to Dortmund.

If this report were true, it would be a great move for BVB. Wolfsburg are tied with RB Leipzig for the fewest goals conceded in the Bundesliga this season, and Lacroix has been vital to this success. He’s fifth on the squad in minutes, regularly forming a robust center back pairing with USMNT defender John Brooks. According to this Bundesliga.com scouting report, Lacroix is the second-quickest center back in the league behind Dayot Upamecano, and has excellent aerial duel and tackling numbers as well.

With Mats Hummels aging and Manuel Akanji’s contract expiring in the summer of 2022, BVB will very likely be in need of defensive reinforcements. If Wolfsburg make the Champions League and Borussia Dortmund don’t, it will be hard to imagine Lacroix leaving. If he does, though, it would be nothing short of a great acquisition.