Borussia Dortmund has in recent years become known as a selling club, where their biggest talents have often been brought in by Bundesliga rival Bayern Munich or other top European clubs.
This has meant that they have not won the German league since 2012, and despite having some of Europe’s best talent in recent years, they have failed to translate that into trophies.
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But Dortmund is a very well-run club that has made a good profit from player sales. Below we go through the club’s 10 biggest sales ever.
10. Mats Hummels – €35 million (to Bayern Munich, 2016)
Mats Hummels was Dortmund’s captain when he left the club for Bayern Munich in 2016. Although he returned to Dortmund three years later, his decision to leave was not well received by fans.
The German stopper was a mainstay in Dortmund’s defence in the early 2010s, winning five trophies in his first spell at the club. After a successful time at Bayern, Hummels returned to Dortmund for €30.5 million in 2019.
9. Mario Götze – €37 million (for Bayern Munich, 2013)
Mario Götze was the first big Dortmund star to leave the club for Bayern Munich in the early 2010s – and he did so on the day of the Champions League final between the two teams.
He had to sit out that game because of the news of the transfer, but during his time at Dortmund he was very good. Götze even made his debut for the German national team as a 17-year-old thanks to his time in yellow and black. He was a key player in Jürgen Klopp’s team that won two league championships in a row and won the Golden Boy award in 2011.
Götze returned to Dortmund in 2016 after two years at Bayern.
8. Henrikh Mkhitaryan – €42 million (for Manchester United, 2016)
Henrikh Mkhitaryan was a key player in Dortmund’s attack during his three years in Germany and was considered one of Europe’s best creative players. This earned him a big transfer to Manchester United.
But he was unable to repeat his success at Old Trafford, although he scored a stunning scorpion kick just before Olivier Giroud surpassed him with an even more spectacular goal.
After just 18 months, Mkhitaryan was swapped for Alexis Sánchez, and he didn’t stay long at Arsenal before joining Roma on a free transfer in 2020. In 2022, he signed for Inter Milan.
7. Erling Haaland – €60 million (for Manchester City, 2022)
Erling Haaland is Dortmund’s sixth-biggest sale ever after his transfer to Manchester City in 2022 for €60 million. This sum was seen as a bargain, but Dortmund could not prevent the sale due to a release clause in the contract.
The Norwegian was fearsome in Germany and started with a hat-trick from the bench in his debut game. In total, he scored 86 goals and provided 23 assists in only 89 appearances for Dortmund.
In his first season at City, he won “The Treble” and set a new record for most goals in a Premier League season (36).
6. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – €63.8 million (for Arsenal, 2018)
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was Robert Lewandowski’s biggest competitor for the title of Germany’s best striker during his time at Dortmund. His form convinced Arsenal to spend €63.8 million on him in January 2018.
The Gabonese fit perfectly into Dortmund’s fast, counter-attacking style of play. He won the Bundesliga’s top scorer award in the 2016/17 season with 31 goals in 32 games and left the club with a goal or assist every 93 minutes, as well as three trophies.
Aubameyang went on to score goals for Arsenal before leaving for Barcelona in 2022.
5. Christian Pulisic – €64 million (to Chelsea, 2019)
Christian Pulisic was only 20 years old when Chelsea saw him as a replacement for Eden Hazard. Although he was not a regular in the Dortmund team, he convinced Chelsea to spend €64 million on him in 2019.
His first season was brilliant, but an injury in the 2020 FA Cup final put an end to his development. Pulisic left Chelsea for Milan for just €20 million in 2023.
4. Jamie Gittens – €65 million (to Chelsea, 2025)
Jamie Gittens was brought in as Jadon Sancho’s successor in 2022, but never quite managed to live up to expectations.
After a few injury-plagued seasons, he made his breakthrough in the first half of the 2024/25 season, but failed to keep the level high enough to convince Chelsea to spend €65 million on him in the summer of 2025.
3. Jadon Sancho – €85 million (for Manchester United, 2021)
Jadon Sancho came to Dortmund as an unknown player from Manchester City’s academy. After a period of adaptation, he began to make headlines with his achievements.
He became a role model for young English players who wanted to play abroad, scoring 50 goals and 64 assists in 137 appearances before returning to the Premier League for €85 million.
After a break with Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag, he returned to Dortmund on loan in January 2024.
2. Jude Bellingham – €113 million (for Real Madrid, 2023)
Jude Bellingham became a huge success at Dortmund after becoming the most expensive 17-year-old in football history.
The English midfielder became a leader on the pitch despite his young age and was sold to Real Madrid for an initial sum of €103 million, which later rose to €113 million with bonuses.
1. Ousmane Dembélé – €135 million (for Barcelona, 2017)
Ousmane Dembélé was brought in by Barcelona as Neymar’s replacement after a fantastic debut season at Dortmund with 10 goals and 21 assists.
But his time at Barcelona was marked by injuries, and he returned to France with PSG in 2023.
Overview of Dortmund’s 10 biggest sales
| Player | to | transition sum | year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Ousmane Dembélé | Barcelona | €135m | 2017 |
| 2. Jude Bellingham | Real Madrid | €113m | 2023 |
| 3. Jadon Sancho | Manchester United | €85m | 2021 |
| 4. Jamie Gittens | Chelsea | €65m | 2025 |
| 5. Christian Pulisic | Chelsea | €64m | 2019 |
| 6. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang | Arsenal | €63,8m | 2018 |
| 7. Erling Haaland | Manchester City | €60m | 2022 |
| 8. Henrikh Mkhitaryan | Manchester United | €42m | 2016 |
| 9. Mario Götze | Bayern Munich | €37m | 2013 |
| 10. Mats Hummel’s | Bayern Munich | €35m | 2016 |
Note: All amounts are in euros and based on reported transfer fees. Some bonuses may be included in the final sums.
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