SPORT: Dortmund delegation arrives in Barcelona to finalize Héctor Fort transfer

Borussia Dortmund has emerged as the frontrunner to sign Héctor Fort, according to Mundo Deportivo. The player himself favors joining Borussia Dortmund and has reportedly turned down other options such as Roma and Real Sociedad. The two clubs have already begun negotiations.

Barcelona values Fort at approximately €15 million to €20 million, and the deal could also include a percentage of future resale profits or a buy-back clause.

Representatives from the German club are in talks with Barcelona to finalize the financial structure of the deal, with the fixed transfer fee expected to be no less than €10 million.

The transfer may include a future resale clause and a Barcelona buy-back option, allowing the club to retain control over the fullback's future. Fort himself is very pleased about joining the Bundesliga and is positive about playing in Germany.

Fort is no longer in Flick's plans after Hans Flick decided to promote youth academy player Xavi Espart as the alternative for the right-back position.

For Fort, Borussia Dortmund, the Bundesliga runner-up, is an ideal destination. Many young players have developed there over the past decades, and he hopes to use this opportunity to further improve himself. Currently, the key to whether this transfer will ultimately materialize lies in the final transfer fee and the financial structure of the deal.

Barcelona hopes to receive a transfer fee of €15 million to €20 million for the player. Fort has made 30 appearances for Barcelona's first team, making his senior debut on December 13, 2023, in a Champions League match against Antwerp, which Barcelona won 3-2.

Another option is to complete the deal with a fixed transfer fee exceeding €10 million, along with a significant future resale clause and a buy-back option to retain control over the player's future development. Sources in Germany suggest that the total value of this deal could reach approximately €50 million.

If this approach is adopted, Barcelona's proceeds from Fort would exceed the Tomás Mback deal, which was just completed this week. Mback joined Sporting CP for a fixed transfer fee of €11 million plus €1 million in variables. For a player with great potential but only 9 minutes of first-team experience in La Liga, this is an excellent sale.

In contrast, Fort has a richer first-team resume. In addition to making approximately 30 appearances for Barcelona, he was also loaned to Elche last season, where he played 17 times and performed quite well overall.

However, his season was also affected by injuries. Before Christmas, Fort suffered an anterior dislocation of his left shoulder, which sidelined him for four months. However, upon returning late in the season, he quickly regained his form and delivered quite good performances, helping Elche, then managed by Fidel Sarabia, successfully avoid relegation.

Fort joined the Barcelona youth academy at the age of seven, progressing through the ranks from the lowest youth levels. If Fort eventually joins Borussia Dortmund, his coach will be Niko Kovač. Coincidentally, at the beginning of the 2019-20 season, Hans Flick was Kovač's assistant coach at Bayern Munich.

Kovač, when talking about Bayern winning the treble, once said: "Bayern has Flick's imprint. I am happy because I was the one who asked him to be my assistant, so in a way, I also have a share in this success. I am not jealous. Flick was my idea."

That season, Bayern ultimately won the treble, while Barcelona suffered an 8-2 defeat to Bayern in the Champions League quarter-finals in Lisbon.

Years later, Flick and Kovač still maintain a good relationship. In the 2024-25 Champions League, they faced each other when coaching Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund respectively, and this mentor-mentee relationship once again became a topic of discussion.

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