Barcelona, Real Madrid alert about German talent as talks with Dortmund stall

There has been a fresh development in the transfer race for Red Bull Salzburg starlet Karim Adeyemi if a report from German publication Ruhr Nachrichten is to be believed.

The 20-year-old has emerged as one of the finest young footballers in the game, breaking through at Salzburg as well as the German national team.

Adeyemi is enjoying a brilliant 2021/22 season, having already racked up a tally of 19 goals and four assists from 33 games in all competitions. It has led to serious interest from a number of clubs in Europe, including the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid.

However, it had since emerged that the striker had rejected the interest from Barcelona in order to secure a transfer to Bundesliga outfit Borussia Dortmund.

The Black and Yellows are sweating over the future of Erling Haaland, who is a top transfer target for the Blaugrana. And they have identified Adeyemi as their primary option to take over from the Norwegian international once the season is through.

Talks had been progressing well and an agreement was believed to be close. However, as per the aforementioned report, negotiations have now come to a standstill, opening the doors for other interested parties to swoop in.

It is believed that a disagreement over the transfer fees for the centre-forward is the reason for talks coming to a halt. BILD reported last month that Salzburg are demanding a sum of at least €42.5 million for their prized asset – a figure that Dortmund are unwilling to pay.

With discussions now coming to a screeching halt, Barcelona and Real Madrid have been piqued by the development and are keeping a close eye on the situation. Neither club do not wish to miss out on a player of Adeyemi’s talent and potential if he becomes available.

Whether it leads to an attempt to sign him, or if Dortmund are able to sort things out with Salzburg and sign the 20-year-old remains to be seen.