Borussia Dortmund Targets Giovanni Baroni in Youth Revolution
Borussia Dortmund’s youth revolution is gathering pace, and the next target may already be lined up in South America.
The club, fresh from confirming the arrivals of Justin Lerma and Kauã Prates, have now entered the race for another teenage talent: Giovanni Baroni of Argentina.
According to Gianluca Di Marzio, Dortmund have joined Chelsea and Fiorentina in tracking the 17-year-old attacking midfielder, who is quickly emerging as one of the more intriguing prospects in his age group. Baroni holds an Italian passport, a crucial detail that would ease any move to Europe, and he is currently tied to a reported €25m release clause. Di Marzio reports that this figure could drop to around €15m plus bonuses – a very different conversation for clubs used to betting big on potential.
Dortmund double down on South American strategy
This is not a sudden change of direction. Dortmund have already dipped into the South American market with conviction.
Deals for Lerma, signed from Independiente for around €4m, and Prates, brought in from Cruzeiro for roughly €7m, were wrapped up earlier, but both players could only complete their moves after turning 18. Those transfers underlined a clear shift: BVB are no longer just reacting to the market; they are trying to get ahead of it.
The pattern is hard to ignore. Young, technical, aggressive profiles, signed before their value explodes. Baroni fits that template neatly.
New sporting director, same bold identity
The arrival of Ole Book as sporting director has only sharpened that focus. One of his first major moves was the signing of Joane Gadou from RB Salzburg for €19.5m, a significant outlay on a defender still at the start of his career.
Stack that alongside Lerma and Prates and a picture emerges: Dortmund are building their next core now, not in two or three windows’ time.
The evidence is already on the pitch. Samuele Inácio and Luca Reggiani played prominent roles in the latter stages of the season, pushing their way into the conversation when the pressure was highest. Those minutes were not handed out as charity; they were a statement about where the club is heading.
If Dortmund do manage to prise Baroni away from Argentina, it will be another brick in a fast-rising structure. The question is no longer whether BVB will lean on youth, but just how far this next generation can take them.
