The sought-after 18-year-old attacker will leave France for the German giants ahead of next season, the Bundesliga side have announced.
Borussia Dortmund have confirmed the signing of promising youngster Ousmane Dembele from Rennes for an undisclosed fee.
The 18-year-old forward pens a contract with BVB until June 2021 and had been receiving interest from several of Europe’s big hitters, with the likes of Barcelona, Liverpool and Bayern Munich among those reported to have been tracking his progress.
However, Dembele has opted to continue his promising development at Signal Iduna Park.
“Ousmane can play in almost every attacking position,” Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc told Dortmund’s official website.
“I have nothing but respect when I see how many high-profile offers from all over Europe Ousmane has turned down and how he has stood firm about his commitment to BVB over such a long period of time.”
Dembele progressed through the youth ranks at Rennes and made his first-team debut for the club against Angers last November.
The France Under-21 international subsequently became a prominent figure in their starting XI and has scored 12 goals in 25 Ligue 1 appearances.
Commenting on his move, Dembele added: “BVB showed a lot of interest in me right from an early stage and they have always kept close contact with me – this really impressed me.
“I am totally convinced of the Borussia sporting concept. I can hardly wait to play in the Bundesliga in front of more than 80,000 spectators at Signal Iduna Park and to walk onto the pitch in the Champions League with my new team-mates.”
Dembele will face stiff competition for a place in the starting line-up at Dortmund, with head coach Thomas Tuchel already able to call on the likes of Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Shinji Kagawa, Marco Reus, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Adrian Ramos and Christian Pulisic in attacking positions.
–
Source: Goal