Dortmund Pursue Barcelona Right-Back Hector Fort

Borussia Dortmund have moved to the front of the queue for Barcelona right-back Hector Fort, with talks already under way over a deal for the 20-year-old.

Spanish transfer journalist Matteo Moretto, who only days ago spoke of a general BVB interest on Radio Marca, now reports that the Bundesliga club are in pole position. Premier League sides and other European clubs are circling, but at this stage Dortmund are leading the chase.

Right flank wide open

The need is obvious. Yan Couto has left for Como 1907 on loan, with the Serie A surprise package securing a €20 million option to buy the Brazilian. Niko Kovac is suddenly light on specialists on the right.

Julian Ryerson is the only natural right-back in the squad. Waldemar Anton, Filippo Mane and left-back Daniel Svensson can all shuffle across if required, yet all three are makeshift solutions rather than long-term answers. If Kovac sticks with his preferred back three or back five, that flank becomes even more important – and even more exposed.

That is where Fort comes in.

The numbers behind a potential deal

Barcelona’s demands set the framework. A straight transfer around €20 million is on the table. There is also a scenario in which BVB pay roughly €10 million, but agree to a 50 percent sell-on clause in favour of the Blaugrana. A loan with an option to buy remains an option too, and has not been ruled out.

Crucially for Dortmund, the collapse of the Said El Mala transfer has changed their budget picture. The club had earmarked around €50 million for the 1. FC Köln attacker. Those funds can now be redistributed to deepen the squad across several positions rather than on a single marquee signing.

Giannis Konstantelias of PAOK Saloniki is currently viewed as the primary alternative to El Mala. The Greek attacker is reportedly available for about €25 million. Even if Dortmund move for Konstantelias, the financial room left over would still allow them to push hard for Fort.

So the deal is not just a tactical fit – it is financially feasible.

A gamble on potential, not proof

Fort, though, is no finished product. He remains largely untested at the highest level.

After only brief first-team outings for Barcelona, he spent last season on loan at Elche CF. It was supposed to be his breakthrough. It never quite became that.

Against clearly weaker opposition than he would face in the Champions League, Fort still struggled to nail down an undisputed starting role. By the end of the campaign he had just over 600 minutes in 17 appearances. The output was encouraging but not spectacular: three goals and two assists.

Those numbers hint at offensive promise from full-back or wing-back, yet they also underline the risk. Dortmund would be betting on upside – on the idea that Fort’s development will accelerate in a more demanding environment, under a coach who relies heavily on his wing-backs.

With Ryerson the only specialist and makeshift options waiting behind him, BVB’s right flank is crying out for a long-term solution. The question now is simple: will Dortmund turn Hector Fort from a Barcelona prospect into the next piece of their defensive rebuild?