Borussia Dortmund Targeting Hector Fort for Right-Back Position
Borussia Dortmund are pushing to the front of the queue for Hector Fort – and this time it looks serious.
Spanish transfer specialist Matteo Moretto now has BVB in pole position for the Barcelona right-back. Only days ago, he was still speaking on Radio Marca of a more general interest from Dortmund in the 20-year-old. The tone has changed. The talks have started.
Premier League clubs and others are circling, but for the moment Dortmund lead the race. Initial discussions with the player’s camp are already underway, with the Bundesliga side exploring several possible formulas to get a deal over the line.
A gap on the right – and a clear target
The need is obvious. Yan Couto has left for Como 1907 on loan, the Serie A newcomers securing an option to buy the Brazilian for around €20 million. His departure has stripped Niko Kovac’s squad down to a single natural right-back: Julian Ryerson.
Everyone else on that flank would be a patch-up job. Waldemar Anton can slide across. Filippo Mane can fill in. Left-back Daniel Svensson can shuffle over if required. None of those solutions are ideal, especially if Kovac sticks to the back three or back five shape that has defined his early work in Dortmund.
Fort, in theory, plugs that hole. Young, technically schooled at Barcelona, comfortable in possession – the profile fits the way Dortmund want to build out from the back.
The numbers: fee, clauses and creative solutions
Barcelona’s stance is clear: they want to be paid. A straight transfer for Fort is expected to land around the €20 million mark. There is talk of a cheaper fixed fee, roughly €10 million, but only if Barça secure a hefty 50 per cent sell-on clause.
Dortmund are also looking at a loan with an option to buy. That model remains on the table and would ease the immediate financial hit while still giving them control over the player’s future.
Crucially, a permanent deal is not off the cards despite the Catalans’ demands. The collapse of the move for Said El Mala has changed the equation. BVB suddenly have around €50 million freed up that had been earmarked for the 1. FC Köln attacker. That money can now be spread across several squad reinforcements.
Giannis Konstantelias of PAOK Saloniki is viewed as the primary alternative to El Mala, with a price tag of about €25 million. Even if Dortmund go down that road, there would still be enough financial room to make a serious push for Fort and strengthen the right side of the defence.
Talent, risk and the unknown
For all the interest, Fort is still an unknown quantity at the top level. His senior minutes are limited. After only brief outings with Barcelona’s first team, he spent last season on loan at Elche CF in Spain’s second tier.
The stage was smaller. The expectations were manageable. The breakthrough never fully came.
Fort logged just over 600 minutes across 17 appearances for Elche. On paper, three goals and two assists from right-back is a tidy return. The reality behind those numbers is more cautious: he never nailed down an undisputed starting role, even against weaker opposition than he would face in the Bundesliga or Champions League.
That is the gamble Dortmund are weighing. They see upside, resale value, a player who fits their age profile and development model. They also see a defender who has yet to prove he can handle the rhythm and physicality of a top European league week after week.
The race for his signature is on. The question now is simple: will BVB turn their financial flexibility into a bold bet on potential, or step back from a deal that still comes wrapped in uncertainty?
