Dortmund interested in Gladbach defender Itakura

Borussia Dortmund are showing interest in Gladbach defender Ko Itakura to join the team for the upcoming season.

Could we get another transfer deal done between the two Borussias of the Bundesliga? Dortmund are reportedly interested in Ko Itakura from Borussia Mönchengladbach.

The 28-year-old defender’s contract in Gladbach runs until June 2026, but he wants to take the next step, according to “Sport BILD”. A contract extension is currently not a topic for Itakura.

Niko Kovac wants to strengthen his squad for next season and sees the central defense as Dortmund’s thinnest squad section. Injuries throughout the season have ensured a constantly rotating squad selection in defense for BVB.

If Itakura was to move to Dortmund in the summer, he would become the 4th player in the last 10 years to make this exact transfer. The other 3 are Mahmoud Dahoud in 2017, Thorgan Hazard in 2019 and Ramy Bensebaini in 2023.

2 Dortmund players moved the other way around during that time: Jonas Hofmann joined Gladbach in 2016 and Matthias Ginter arrived in Gladbach one year later.

Itakura has played 31 games for Gladbach this season and Dortmund will have to pay around €12 million to secure his services for 2025/26.