Ivory Coast powerhouse Sebastian Haller’s unfortunate testicular tumor diagnosis last week has thrown Borussia Dortmund into a sea of uncertainty, forcing them to look for a replacement, with Edin Dzeko being mentioned as an option.
The German heavyweights invested upwards of €30M to acquire the striker from Ajax early in July. It is unknown when he will return to training with the first team and still has his four-year contract intact, but Die Schwarzgelben are already on the hunt for reinforcements.
According to Sky Deutschland, four replacements have been drawn up to take Haller’s place in the starting eleven, and one of them is the Inter veteran. However, Dzeko figures to be at the bottom of the Dortmund list of potential alternatives because of his age.
News via @Sky_Marc & @westsven: In the case that BVB has to replace Haller there are four options, #BVB has already discussed: Icardi, Piatek, Cordoba and Dzeko. But nothing concrete at this stage. BVB expects a diagnosis this week. @SkySportDE ??????????
— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) July 25, 2022
The three other forwards on it are former Inter striker Mauro Icardi, ex-Fiorentina man Krzysztof Piatek and John Cordoba, who already possesses six years of Bundesliga experience.
At 36, Dzeko is by far the oldest of the four candidates for the role but could ‘very well compensate for Haller’s place in the short term,’ as per the report from Germany. His Nerazzurri contract expires at the end of the 2022/23 season. Dortmund are seeking a loan move for a quick fix. However, they will fully analyze Haller’s health status first before giving the green light for another addition.