Borussia Dortmund In Pole Position To Sign Kante

Borussia Dortmund is pursuing the transfer of Croatian youth international Liam Claude Kante from NK Lokomotiva Zagreb.

According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Borussia Dortmund are currently ahead in the race to sign the 15-year-old centre-back.

BVB is not alone in its interest: several Italian clubs, Red Bull Salzburg, and Bundesliga rivals FC Bayern and 1899 Hoffenheim are also monitoring the situation.

Kante, who has French roots, was born in Zagreb and represents Croatia at youth level. Since making his debut in September 2024, he has made six appearances for the U15s and scored one goal.

He progressed through NK HASK Zagreb’s youth setup before joining neighbours Lokomotiva in 2022, and he remains a key figure in their U17 side.

Borussia Dortmund’s new sporting director, Ole Book, earned a reputation for spotting talented players and recognising their development potential early on during his time as sporting director at SV Elversberg.

At his presentation with the Black and Yellows, he announced: “We will try to find gems who will make Borussia Dortmund better.” Looking ahead, Kante could be one of those players.

BVB already have young centre-backs in Luca Reggiani (18) and Filippo Mane (21), while Nico Schlotterbeck (26), Waldemar Anton (29) and Ramy Bensebaini (31) are established options.

With Niklas Süle (30) departing on a free transfer and captain Emre Can (32) sidelined by a serious injury, Borussia is expected to add another experienced centre-back.