According to The Athletic, Dortmund is about to reach an agreement to sign Chelsea double stars Chuk Umeka and Anselmino.
Chuk Umeka will join Dortmund in a permanent transfer, while Anselmino will join for one season on loan, which does not include a buyout option or a forced buyout clause. The two players have been allowed to go to Germany to complete the transfer.
This transfer will bring Chuk Umeka back to Dortmund, who was loaned to the club in the second half of the 2024-25 season. Chuk Umeka transferred from Villa to Chelsea in 2022 and signed a six-year contract before joining Dortmund in February 2025. He played in 10 Bundesliga games for Dortmund, won 8 games and scored 1 goal. In the first half of last season, Chuk Umeka represented Chelsea in five European Union League Cup matches.
Chuk Umeka's original loan agreement was to return to his parent team Chelsea on June 30, but the loan period was extended to cover the entire Club World Cup. He made four appearances in the Club World Cup, and Dortmund lost to Real Madrid in the quarter-finals. Chuk Umeka has played 23 times for the England Youth Team and made 1 time in the 2023 U20 World Cup.
Anselmino joined Chelsea from Boca Youth in August 2024 for a transfer fee of about £17 million. He was immediately leased back to his parent team, but was recalled by Chelsea in January this year.
Anselmino trained with the first team at the time and stayed with the team until the end of the season, but he only played twice, once for the U21 team and the other time he made a substitute in the Club World Cup where Chelsea won the championship.
An Selmino has suffered hamstring injuries three times in the past two seasons, affecting his playing time, the worst of which happened after he returned to Stamford Bridge in February this year. Anselmino has played 23 times for the Boca youth first team, scoring 2 goals and sending 3 assists.
Dortmund won five consecutive victories at the end of the 2024-25 season. As Freiburg lost to Frankfurt in the last round of the Bundesliga, Dortmund qualified for the Champions League at the last moment.
Dotter has favored Chuk Umeka since he joined in January, but his physical condition is worrying, and according to the initial offer (nearly 50 million euros), the risk is too high for a player with limited playing time and missing six Bundesliga games in the second half of the season.
But this renegotiation is in the interests of all parties. Dort urgently needs to add another opportunity creator to the team to relieve Brandt’s burden, and Chuk Umeka’s vision and ball-holding ability, coupled with his strength and skill in possession, will solve the problem many times and inject new dimensions into Kovac’s midfield.
In addition, part of the club's focus this summer has been on recruiting players who can improve, which has long been regarded as part of the Dortmund brand, but has gradually faded in recent years. Gittens sold this summer at a high price, as did Bellingham two years ago, but aside from these highlights, major sales have been scarce.
Club hopes Chuk Umeka can reverse this trend. With his talent, he was able to become a superstar in the Bundesliga and become one of Germany's most valuable players. But he just needs to find momentum, which is something he hasn't achieved in his career so far.
source:7mbongda