Borussia Dortmund have finally agreed to sign Belgian midfielder Axel Witsel following weeks of speculation, according to reports in Germany.
The 29-year-old, who enjoyed an impressive World Cup campaign for his third-place finishing nation, has been tipped to swap Chinese club Tianjin Quanjian for the Bundesliga in a deal worth around €20m for some time - although several complications have seen issues arise.
Borussia Dortmund have sent lawyers to China as Tianjin Quanjian claim Axel Witsel’s release clause doesn’t apply when the Chinese transfer window is closed, according to Sportwereld. #BVB #CSL
— Ronan Murphy (@swearimnotpaul) August 3, 2018
Reports suggested that the difference in transfer windows between Europe and China would mean no agreement could be reached, with former BVB midfielder and current Tianjin Quanjian coach Paulo Sousa stating: "To my knowledge, the player has an opt-out clause in his contract.
"But this can only be activated during our transfer window. Since the transfer window in China has already closed, this change will not happen."
However, according to Bild, the clause was not tied to a specific date, and the player will arrive in Switzerland to join up with his new side on Monday after agreeing a four-year deal with Dortmund worth around €10m (€48,000-a-week).
Borussia Dortmund have finalised the transfer of Axel Witsel, according to Bild. He is expected to join their training camp in Switzerland on Monday. #BVB #CSL
— Ronan Murphy (@swearimnotpaul) August 5, 2018
If officially confirmed, Witsel will become BVB's seventh signing of the summer transfer window, following the arrivals of Thomas Delaney, Marwin Hitz, Abdou Diallo, Eric Oelschlagel, Marius Wolf as well as loanee Achraf Hakimi.
Lucien Favre will be hoping his new side can improve on their fourth-place finish in the Bundesliga from last year, which saw them scrape qualification for the Champions League via goal difference.
If Witsel's signature were to be confirmed, it would be a significant statement of intent ahead of the new campaign, and potentially a catalyst in the pursuit of closing the gap between Bayern Munich and the rest in Germany's top flight.