What's the story?
Barcelona striker, Paco Alcacer will move to Borussia Dortmund on an initial season-long loan deal for €2.2 million according to Spanish newspaper, Marca (via, German newspaper Bild). The loan includes an option to buy the 24-year-old at the end of the season for somewhere between €20 million and €25 million.
In case you didn't know...
Paco Alcacer moved to Barcelona two years ago from Valencia having impressed greatly over the course of six years for Los Che. Since moving to the Nou Camp, the Spanish striker has struggled to compete with Luis Suarez for a consistent first-team spot with the majority of his appearances for La Blaugrana coming from the bench.
At only 24 years old, the striker still has plenty of time to reach his full potential and a spell in the Bundesliga may do wonders for his development. The striker has 13 caps for Spain and will hope that a run in the first team at the Westfalenstadion can help his chances of playing a prominent role during Spain's Europan Championships 2020 qualifiers.
The heart of the matter
Borussia Dortmund has desperately tried to replace Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang since his move to Arsenal in January of this year. The Gabon international left a huge hole in the front line at Dortmund and while Michy Batshuayi went on a temporary loan to Germany last season, the club wishes for a more permanent replacement.
Paco Alcacer has reportedly been top of the list of targets for the Bundesliga club all summer and they will be delighted to secure his services for the coming season. The fast-flowing attacking football played at the Westfalenstadion should suit Alcacer and provide him with plenty of goalscoring opportunities.
Rumour Rating: 10/10
This is a done deal with simple formalities such as the medical delaying an official announcement from both clubs. We can expect to see Alcacer line up in Dortmund colors as soon as next weekend.
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What's next?
Barcelona could still make more moves in the transfer market before it closes at the end of August. The loan of Alacer may indicate that La Blaugrana is confident in securing another striker as a squad replacement for the Spaniard while there are also strong rumours linking Rafinha with a move away from the Camp Nou before deadline day.