Barcelona have agreed a deal to sign Karim Adeyemi from Borussia Dortmund.
An agreement has been reached after Barcelona saw a €20million offer ($22.8m) offer rejected earlier this week.
The deal is not yet finalised but is expected to be completed in the near future. Barcelona sporting director Deco has been in North America for the World Cup, having attended Spain’s round-of-16 win over Portugal in Dallas and will watch their quarter-final against Belgium in Los Angeles on Friday.
Adeyemi, who was omitted from Germany’s World Cup squad after struggling for form and fitness towards the end of the season, has a year remaining on his contract with the Bundesliga club.
The Athletic reported in June that Adeyemi, 24, was open to leaving Dortmund this summer, with the Premier League his preferred destination. Aston Villa also held long-standing interest in the versatile forward, who can play on either wing, behind the striker, or up front.
Adeyemi mostly played down the middle for Dortmund last season, and returned 10 goals and six assists in 39 appearances in all competitions.
He has recorded 36 goals and 25 assists in 146 appearances since joining Dortmund from RB Salzburg in 2022, and started eight of his side’s 12 matches on their run to the Champions League final in the 2023-24 season, including in the 2-0 defeat to Real Madrid in the final.
Barcelona have already recruited Anthony Gordon to their attack this summer in a €80m from Newcastle. With Ansu Fati having left the club in a permanent deal to Monaco, Robert Lewandowski joining Chicago Fire and Barcelona not activating their €30m buy option in Marcus Rashford’s loan agreement from Manchester United, there is space for the La Liga champions to bolster their frontline.
‘Adeyemi’s potential remains largely unrealised’
Analysis by German football writer Sebastian Stafford-Bloor
At times over the last two years, Adeyemi has threatened to become an outstanding player. During the second half of the 2024-25 season and the first half of 2025-26, he was Dortmund’s most important player and an invaluable weapon on the counterattack. At his very, very best, Adeyemi’s speed and goalscoring make him incredibly dangerous and yet, despite that, this Barcelona move is a surprise.
Firstly, because consistency has often eluded him. He is the kind of player capable of having six excellent weeks, but who is then prone to fading to anonymity. That will have to change if he is to succeed at Barcelona, where the standards are much, much higher. Similarly, while he has attributes that Hansi Flick will find value in, his first touch, all-round technical ability and decision making cannot always be depended upon and that will each have to improve.
The noise away from the pitch must die down, too. Most recently, Adeyemi got embroiled in the ridiculous “mystery box” saga, for which he was heavily fined. He’s still only 24, so relatively young, but the type of naivety that incident — or others like it — described will cost him very dearly in Spain, where the focus will be considerably stronger than it has ever been in Dortmund.
Can he succeed? Yes, he has some useful tools that do not otherwise exist in Flick’s Barca squad. But will there have to be some adaption to ensure that he takes this opportunity? Also yes, because his potential remains largely unrealised and he is extremely fortunate to be getting this chance to play at the very top of the game.
Do Barca need Adeyemi?
Analysis by Barcelona correspondent Pol Ballus
Barca has secured another attacking signing, and it was far from expected. Adeyemi joins the club defined as a market opportunity, and a player Hansi Flick has in really high esteem. The head coach played a key role, according to club sources, in approving the deal when the opportunity arose.
But do Barcelona need Adeyemi? That is certainly a good question. It is difficult to envisage a clear path to the starting line-up for him. Lamine Yamal and Raphinha are established as starting wingers, and there is new signing Gordon, in the mix too now. Barca sources indicate there is a big chance of Roony Bardghji leaving on loan.
A broader conclusion can be drawn from that deal, which is how Flick wants to keep improving his team. With Gordon and Adeyemi, Barca have added two fast and, most importantly, diligent counter-pressers.
The German is obsessed with high pressing as the key to his system, on and off the ball. Last term, he took the spotlight away from defenders on multiple occasions, whenever their high line looked too exposed. Flick is now strengthening his attack to improve his defence.
Adeyemi’s arrival does not have any impact to Barca’s desire to sign Julian Alvarez. The Catalans still have the Argentina striker as their top priority signing for the summer, and the player they want to replace Robert Lewandowski.
