Kos Karetsas Joins Borussia Dortmund in Record Transfer

Genk’s latest gem is heading to Germany, and he is smashing records on his way out.

According to Bob Faesen of HLN, Genk and Borussia Dortmund have reached an agreement for the transfer of Greek teenager Kos Karetsas, a deal that will set a new outgoing transfer record for the Belgian club. The exact figure remains under wraps, but Genk had been pushing for around €35 million. Whatever the final number, it will be the highest fee the club has ever received for a player.

Karetsas, just 18, has been clear about his preference. Of all the clubs circling, he wanted Dortmund. He sees the Bundesliga side as the ideal place to grow, a proven finishing school for Europe’s most gifted youngsters rather than just another big name on a contract.

From Genk’s academy to Europe’s spotlight

For Genk, this is a familiar story with a new leading man. Their academy has become a production line of elite talent, and Karetsas is the latest to step off it and straight into the European spotlight.

He broke into the first team as a 16-year-old during the 2023/2024 season, a teenager trusted early in a senior environment. The following campaign he truly established himself: 39 appearances, three goals, three assists, and the sense that Genk had unearthed another serious prospect.

The real leap came in the 2025/2026 season. While Genk struggled collectively, Karetsas surged. He played 49 matches in all competitions, again scoring three goals but this time supplying a remarkable 14 assists. In a difficult year for the club, the young Greek became the bright, reliable outlet, the player who kept creating when others stalled.

He now joins a line of academy graduates that includes Bilal El Khannous, another who made the jump from Genk’s youth ranks to first-team prominence as a teenager. For the Belgian side, this transfer is both vindication and validation: the model works, and Europe is still watching.

A five-year bet on potential

Karetsas is expected to sign a five-year deal with Borussia Dortmund, a long-term commitment from a club that has built its modern identity on developing players like him. The move will take him into one of Europe’s most demanding environments, but also one of the most rewarding for young attacking talents.

Genk lose a creator who carried a heavy load at 18. Dortmund gain a teenager whose numbers already hint at a player comfortable dictating games, not just surviving them.

The record fee will help Genk reset and reinvest. For Karetsas, the next step is far less financial and far more footballing: can he turn breakout promise in Belgium into genuine star power in the Bundesliga?