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Borussia Dortmund are renowned for snapping up talented young players and nurturing them until they blossom into world-class personnel before making huge profits on their sale to bigger clubs.
The Bundesliga giants have one of the best scouting networks in Europe's top five leagues in terms of unearthing young talent. Instead of spending big on established names like some of the continent's other elite clubs, Dortmund have taken a path less trodden but no less successful.
Despite fielding one of the youngest rosters in the top five leagues, Dortmund have been Bayern Munich's strongest rivals in the Bundesliga and are regulars in the Champions League.
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After their young stars produce eye-catching performances and see their stocks rise, Dortmund jettison these players to the right suitor at the right time for a significant return on their initial investment. Then they re-invest that money on unearthing newer talent, and the cycle continues.
On that note, let's take a look at the five most expensive departures from Borussia Dortmund over the years.
#5 Henrikh Mkhitaryan - €42.5 million (2016)
Borussia Dortmund plucked out Henrikh Mkhitaryan from Shakhtar Donetsk in the summer of 2013, paying the Ukrainian club €22 million for the Armenian's services.
The three-time Ukrainian League winner turned out to be a hit at Dortmund, dishing out 41 goals and 49 assists in 140 games in all competitions. Mkhitaryan's most productive campaign at the Signal Iduna Park was in 2015-16, when he scored 23 goals and registered 32 assists.
Soon, Manchester United came calling for Mkhitaryan, and Dortmund let the central midfielder leave for Old Trafford at a price that was €12 million over his market value at the time.
Although Mkhitaryan enjoyed middling returns at Manchester United and then at Arsenal, the midfielder has rediscovered his mojo at AS Roma, making 43 goal contributions across all competitions at the Serie A club.
#4 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - €63.8 million (2018)
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is one of the most prolific marksmen to have graced the Bundesliga, despite his short four-and-a-half season stint in the competition. The Gabon international was bought by Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2013 for €13 million and hit the ground running at his new club.
Aubameyang contributed a rich tally of 141 goals across competitions in over 200 appearances for the club, with 98 of these strikes coming in the Bundesliga. He was the top scorer in the competition in 2016-17, scoring 31 goals.
Generally, quality players are not available during the winter transfer window. However, the striker, who scored 13 league goals in the 2017-18 season and four in the Champions League, was let go by Borussia Dortmund in January when Arsenal came calling.
Though Aubameyang has not been as prolific at Arsenal as he was at Dortmund, the 32-year-old has still produced impressive returns of 85 goals in nearly 150 games across competitions. He top-scored in the 2018-19 Premier League with 22 strikes.
#3 Christian Pulisic - €64 million (2019)
One of the most talented young American players to have emerged in recent times, Christian Pulisic first made his name in Europe at Borussia Dortmund.
Arriving from American club Pennsylvania Classics in 2015, Pulisic became one of the players who debuted for BvB when the 17-year-old played in the Europa League that season.
Though he was not a prolific goalscorer, Pulisic impressed with his ability on the ball and displayed poise and composure belying his tender years. Nevertheless, he racked up 45 goal contributions in 127 games across competitions during three-and-a-half seasons at Dortmund before leaving in a €64 million move to Chelsea.
Still only 22, the right winger, enduring an injury-plagued stint at the London club, impressed under Thomas Tuchel last season. Pulisic scored twice and assisted as many goals in Chelsea's triumphant Champions League campaign in 2020-21.
#2 Jadon Sancho - €85 million (2021)
Manchester United finally landed their numero uno target this summer when they signed Jadon Sancho on an €85 million transfer after failing in their pursuit of the English winger last season.
One of the best young wingers in the game, Sancho made a brave move to join Borussia Dortmund at the age of 17 after failing to break into the first team at Manchester City.
Four years later, Sancho tallied more than 100 goal contributions (50 goals, 64 assists) in 137 games to emerge as one of the most sought-after wingers in the game. He enjoyed his best campaign at BvB in 2019-20, tallying 20 goals and as many assists across competitions.
The Englishman missed in the shootout in the Euro 2020 final against Italy, but is expected to be a huge hit at Old Trafford. It remains to be seen if Sancho will hit the ground running in his new surroundings, though.
#1 Ousmane Dembele - €135 million (2017)
Ousmane Dembele may have played only one full season at Borussia Dortmund. But he tallied over 30 goal contributions in nearly 50 games across competitions to become the club's most expensive departure ever.
That happened when Barcelona, richer by €222 million from the sale of Neymar but striving for a like-for-like replacement for the Brazilian, landed Dembele from Borussia Dortmund on a gargantuan transfer.
Four years later, though, the Dembele transfer has turned out to be one of the best pieces of business conducted by Dortmund and the worst by Barcelona. That's because the young Frenchman has largely flattered to deceive during his injury-riddled stint at the Camp Nou.
Despite playing over 100 matches across competitions at Barcelona, Dembele (30 goals and 21 assists) is deemed surplus to requirements and is expected to leave Camp Nou this summer.
