Borussia Dortmund director Lars Ricken has ruled out the sale of Karim Adeyemi amid links to a move to the English Premier League, Soccernet.ng reports.
Adeyemi, known as the “Nigerian Fufu Man” due to his comments about the Nigerian food as a remedy for his sprinting prowess, has gained significant attention in the Nigerian football community.
The key to Karim Adeyemi’s speed… fufu! 🇳🇬@karim_adeyemi tells @Nicocantor1 about his secret-weapon meal. 🍽 pic.twitter.com/wtjrhaetHL
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) February 15, 2023
The Dortmund forward, born to a Nigerian father and a Romanian mother, was previously linked with a move to a London club reportedly vying to lure him to Stamford Bridge.
According to the German media outlet BILD, as reported by Transfer News Live, Borussia Dortmund was said to be willing to accept a transfer fee in the region of £25 million for the German-Nigerian forward.
🚨 Chelsea are in talks with Dortmund over a deal for Karim Adeyemi.
The German club would accept around £25M for the 22-year old.
(Source: BILD) pic.twitter.com/85vxJ5KFyr
— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) July 10, 2024
However, new reports from transfer guru Fabrizio Romano shed light on the situation, with Director Ricken confirming that there are no plans to sell the pacy forward.
“We never opened a door. For us, that’s not an issue at all. Every day there is a name in the press who supposedly wants to leave and how much we will earn then…” Ricken said to Ruhr Nachrichten, as quoted by Romano.
Adeyemi’s charitable contributions to his father’s home country through his foundation and his regular visits to Nigeria cannot be overlooked.
As it stands, it is more than likely that the former RB Salzburg player will be spending the 2024-25 season at Signal Iduna Park, with his contract expiring in June 2027.