Serhou Guirassy Wants Out of Borussia Dortmund This Summer
Serhou Guirassy has told Borussia Dortmund he wants out. Not next year. Not “one day”. This summer.
After two prolific seasons in Westphalia, the 30-year-old has informed the club he intends to leave in the upcoming transfer window, bringing a potentially explosive twist to Dortmund’s planning just as they re-establish themselves near the top of the Bundesliga.
Guirassy arrived from VfB Stuttgart in 2024 for €18 million and has been nothing short of a bargain. Ninety-five competitive games, 59 goals, 15 assists. A signing that turned into a centrepiece. A forward who became the reference point of BVB’s attack almost overnight.
Now he wants a different stage.
A striker at his peak, but restless
The relationship with the coaching staff is not the issue. By all accounts it works. He plays, he scores, he leads. The numbers underline it: 16 Bundesliga goals this season, third in the scoring charts.
The problem lies deeper, in how Dortmund play.
According to Sky Sports, Guirassy has spent recent months reflecting on his role in the current system and has come to a firm conclusion: the fit no longer feels right. The Guinea international is understood to be unhappy with the team’s tactical approach and believes he has more to show in a different structure, at a higher competitive level.
This is not a striker angling for minutes or a pay rise. It is a 2025 Ballon d’Or nominee, in his prime, deciding that the project around him does not match his own ambitions.
If a suitable move emerges this summer, he wants to take it.
A release clause built for giants
Dortmund’s position is complicated by the fine print.
Guirassy has a €50 million release clause that can be activated by a very specific group of Europe’s elite. Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United, and Arsenal all have the right to trigger it. So far, none of them has made a formal move, but the list alone shows the level of company he now keeps.
The pressure is not only coming from the superclubs. AC Milan, Tottenham Hotspur, and Fenerbahce have also registered interest. Those three, however, do not benefit from the clause and would need to negotiate directly with Dortmund if they want to prise him away.
For BVB, that clause is both shield and threat. Fifty million euros is a substantial sum, yet in the current market it barely buys you a proven, peak-age, Champions League-level striker. Replacing Guirassy’s goals and presence will demand a huge outlay and an almost perfect recruitment hit.
Dortmund’s dilemma
On the pitch, Dortmund sit second in the Bundesliga and will close their domestic season with a trip to Werder Bremen on Saturday, May 16. Guirassy will travel as their leading centre-forward, their third-highest scorer in the league, and the man they built their attack around.
Off the pitch, the mood is far less settled.
Lars Ricken and Ole Book are determined to change his mind. They know exactly what walks out the door if Guirassy leaves: a guaranteed goalscorer, a focal point, and a symbol that Dortmund can still attract and elevate top-tier talent.
But they are fighting gravity. When a player of this calibre, with this clause, signals a clear desire to move and Europe’s wealthiest clubs are hovering, the balance of power tilts away from the club.
Dortmund have navigated star departures before and rebuilt. The question now is not whether they can survive another, but whether they can afford to lose the striker who finally made their No. 9 shirt feel truly elite again.
