Sebastian Kehl, the sporting director at Borussia Dortmund, has explained why the team was unable to recruit Victor Boniface during the summer.
Kehl has claimed he was unaware that Jude Bellingham would be sold, which would have allowed the former Union Saint-Gilloise attacker to represent Dortmund rather than Bayer Leverkusen.
Dortmund had been linked with Boniface, but they passed up the opportunity to recruit the Nigerian before Real Madrid swooped in to sign Boniface.
In seven games for Die Werkself, Boniface has since scored seven goals and assisted on two more.
Kehl, though, is adamant that he has no remorse about passing over the 22-year-old.
“I’m not offended at all because I understand how crucial timing and external factors are to my ability to make the best choice at the right time in my line of work.
“We were unaware that Jude Bellingham would be sold at the time when such moves were being discussed and finalized.
“Therefore, there was no budget. Additionally, adding another striker to the team wasn’t necessarily the intention at the moment. I find it interesting how players we had on our radar developed at other clubs, regardless of the Boniface scenario. By the way, there are numerous instances where Kehl expressed gratitude that a player was not bound to Borussia Dortmund.
