Report: Mainz to Demand Large Fee for Borussia Dortmund Target Abdou Diallo
Mainz will demand that Borussia Dortmund dig deep into their pockets if they are to sign their highly rated young defender Abdou Diallo.
It looks increasingly inevitable that Sokratis Papastathopoulos will leave Dortmund for Arsenal in the coming weeks and BVB need to shore up their defensive options.
Diallo has impressed in 19 Bundesliga appearances since joining Mainz from Monaco last summer. He still has four years left on the contract he signed at the Opel Arena and Mainz will not let Dortmund get their man without a fight.
According to Sport1, a fee in the region of €28m (£24.6m) will be required to prise Diallo away from Mainz. It is believed that Diallo would favor a move to Dortmund so that he can play for his countryman Lucien Favre, who is taking over at the Westfalenstadion.
Diallo would also relish the chance to play Champions League football again. He was named in Monaco's European squad for last season's competition but only played one game: a 3-0 group stage defeat to Bayer Leverkusen.
Diallo is of Senegalese descent but was born in Tours and has represented France at every youth level from U16 to U21. He is yet to play for the senior team though.
Dortmund's dream center back signing would be Ajax's Matthijs de Ligt. The 18-year-old is considered one of the most exciting young defenders in Europe but Dortmund would face stiff competition for his signature.
BVB qualified for next season's Champions League in unconvincing fashion, finishing fourth in the Bundesliga with only goal difference keeping them above Leverkusen.
