Borussia Dortmund vetoed low release clause for striker to join Barcelona in the future

Barcelona’s pursuit of Youssoufa Moukoko took a major blow this afternoon, with Fabrizio Romano, among other news outlets, confirming that the forward is on the verge of renewing his contract at Borussia Dortmund.

The youngster is set to sign a new deal until 2026, which effectively seals his short-term future at Dortmund, if not the long-term one.

However, according to a report from SPORT, Moukoko’s agents were pushing until the last minute to insert a low release clause in the contract that would have enabled the youngster to join Barcelona in the near future.

But that release clause was vetoed by Borussia Dortmund, who had no intention to replicate an Erling Haaland-esque situation by adding a low release clause to the contract of one of their most talented young players.

Ultimately, Moukoko was faced with two options: either continue his progress at Dortmund or fulfill his dream by joining Barcelona and representing one of the biggest clubs in the world.

It has previously been reported that the German has a soft spot for Barça and harbours the dream of playing at Camp Nou. In fact, during his renewal saga, the attacker never had the desire to join any Premier League clubs, despite interest from many teams across England.

But in the end, Moukoko opted to prioritise regular game-time and the opportunity to further his progress by agreeing a renewal at Dortmund. The contract extension may soon be confirmed by the German outfit, who have also been boosted by the return of Sebastien Haller.

Barcelona, though, are not out of the chase completely. They are expected to closely monitor the progress of Moukoko at Dortmund and may make a move for the German international in the near future.