Adeyemi Handled the Transfer Himself. Barça Can Now Claim the Credit

Karim Adeyemi has signed a contract with Barcelona until 2031. Borussia Dortmund will receive €22 million plus up to €7 million in add-ons. According to SPORT, the player was valued at around €40 million. The Catalans therefore tried a new negotiating method: letting the player do most of the work himself.

Adeyemi reportedly rejected three significantly better offers from the Premier League and Saudi Arabia. He told Jorge Mendes that Barcelona were the only club he wanted to join. Dortmund were given an equally simple choice: sell him to Barça or keep him until the end of his contract and lose him for free. With the player taking that position, defeating the German club at the negotiating table was no longer particularly difficult.

Hansi Flick also played an important role, having handed Adeyemi his Germany debut when the winger was just 19. He leaves Dortmund with 36 goals in 146 appearances and has admitted that last season was not his best. At Barcelona, that is hardly a problem. A good start is enough to be hailed as the club’s latest masterstroke, followed by one poor month to earn a place on the list of players available for sale.

Laporta can now present the deal as another major success for the board. The only problem is that Barcelona’s best negotiator turned out to be Adeyemi himself. He simply wanted to join the club more than the club were able to pay for him.