According to the report regarding McKennie, Borussia Dortmund are one of many clubs interested in the midfielder’s services. The club allegedly faces competition from multiple English Premier League clubs. The links with McKennie come as a slight shock for a number of reasons, the first of which being that McKennie spent four years with Dortmund’s Ruhr rivals FC Schalke 04 before making the move to Juventus in the summer of 2021.
The player made a total of 75 Bundesliga appearances for Schalke, scoring 4 goals and assisting a further 4. Dortmund’s links with McKennie further raise eyebrows when one considers the position the player occupies. McKennie is mainly a central midfielder, which is a position that Dortmund are pretty stacked in, especially once Mahmoud Dahoud returns from injury.
The acquisition of McKennie would likely mean the departure of one of Dortmund’s current midfielders, and one struggles to think who Dortmund would be both willing and able to part ways with in the winter transfer window. In terms of his performances for Juventus this season, McKennie has 3 goals and 1 assist across 16 appearances in Serie A and the Champions League.
While the player himself seems solid enough, I find it hard to believe Dortmund would target this area of the field when, as we’ve discussed before, there are areas on the pitch that are ailing far more than the midfield. McKennie’s prior history with Schalke would also make this a strange move, and while this wouldn’t be the first time a player would potentially play for both Dortmund and Schalke, I’m not entirely sure this transfer will truly come to fruition.
In addition to McKennie, Dortmund have been linked with former player Christian Pulisic. Pulisic first joined Dortmund’s youth setup in the 2014/15 season, and played at the senior level for a few years until Dortmund struck an agreement with Premier League side Chelsea for the player in 2019.
Pulisic’s move to Chelsea came about with much fanfare. The player signed for a big money transfer fee and was expected to make an impact at Chelsea, but his time has been marred by injuries which has only allowed him to show glimpses of what he is capable of on the pitch. Pulisic has however won the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Super Cup during his time with the London side.
A return to Dortmund for Pulisic is the more likely of the two transfers to materialize, as Pulisic at least covers a position Dortmund currently need – a player on the wings. According to BILD, the player himself could imagine a return to the Westfalenstadion. The move would likely come after the 2022/23 season runs its course, as Chelsea seem like they would be willing to let the player go before his contract is up in 2024.