Borussia Dortmund Interested in Move for Belgium World Cup Star Axel Witsel

Borussia Dortmund could be set to make a move for Belgian midfielder Axel Witsel, according to reports in Germany.

German news outlet Revier Sport claim that new Dortmund manager Lucien Favre has identified the 29-year-old midfielder as one of the top names on his list of transfer targets, with sporting director Michael Zorc sharing this opinion.

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Witsel is currently signed to Tianjin Quanjian in China, where he is under contract until the end of 2019. However, a string of good performances as a key part of Roberto Martinez's Belgium team which came third at the World Cup has seen Witsel linked strongly with a move back to a more competitive level of football.

Though the midfielder has enjoyed a successful career and appeared for his country 96 times, a move to Dortmund would represent Witsel's first time playing in one of Europe's five major leagues, having previously played in Russia, Portugal and his native Belgium before going to China in 2017.

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The signing of Witsel would bolster Dortmund's midfield options to an acceptable level, with the club also able to call on the services of Thomas Delaney, Julian Weigl and Mahmoud Dahoud in the centre of the park. 

However, the club look set to dispense with the services of Nuria Sahin and Sebastian Rode, with either player allowed to leave should an acceptable offer come in.

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Dortmund finished fourth in the Bundesliga last season, something the club will be looking to improve upon given their generally accepted status as Germany's second-biggest club after Bayern Munich. 

The club also failed to get out of the group stages of the Champions League and will be hoping Favre can steer the club in the right direction after appointing the former Nice manager in May.