By Andrew Lord

13 May 2022

German regional league club SpVgg Unterhaching have gained a windfall of over six million euros from the €30 million transfer of Karim Adeyemi from RB Salzburg to Borussia Dortmund.

With bonus payments, the fee for the 20-year-old could potentially rise to 36 million euros.

When Unterhaching sold Adeyemi to RB Salzburg in 2018, club president Manfred Schwabl arranged a sell-on clause which is said to be 22%, which means a windfall payment of at least 6.75 million euros for the Bavarian club. With performance-related bonuses the sum could potentially grow by a further 1.35 million euros. And if Dortmund sell Adeyemi in the future, Unterhaching will earn a percentage of any subsequent transfer fee.

Unterhaching’s president Manni Schwabl told the Münchner Merkur/tz: “This signing marks an exceptional day in the history of our club. It is the first great harvest of our youth development scheme.”

Adeyemi began his career as a youth for TSV Forstenried and in 2010 he signed for Bayern Munich at the age of eight. When he left the club two years later, he signed for SpVgg Unterhaching. In 2018, RB Salzburg signed the 16-year-old for a fee of 3.35 million euros and promptly loaned him out to the club’s ‘farm team’ FC Liefering in the Austrian second division for two years, though he continued to play for RB Salzburg in the Youth League.

Breakthrough at Salzburg

He soon made the first team of RB Salzburg and in 2020 he signed a contract extension until 2024. When Patson Daka left the club to join Leicester City before the 2021/22 season, Adeyemi was his replacement. He won the Austrian league and cup double three times with RB Salzburg, scoring 27 goals in 66 games. Last year, he won the UEFA European Under-21 Championship with Germany and made his full international debut in September 2021, coming off the bench to score an injury time winner in the 6-0 victory over Armenia in a World Cup qualifier.

Now Adeyemi will be reunited with Dortmund trainer Marco Rose, who signed him in 2018 when he was RB Salzburg coach and the German international will play in the Champions League with Dortmund next season.

Unterhaching President Manni Schwabl is viewed as being instrumental in the career of Adeyemi by taking him under his wing and offering guidance. He had previously avoided talking about specific details of the potential windfall. Last October he told Euro am Sonntag: “I’m obviously not going to mention precise figures, but it will certainly be a sum that will open up completely new economic and structural possibilities for the future of the club.”

Adeyemi, who has signed a five year contract with Dortmund, said: “When I was a boy, I was fascinated by Dortmund’s high tempo playing style. That’s why it quickly became clear that I wanted to sign for Dortmund when I discovered the club was interested in me. I have consciously signed for the long-term because I’m convinced that we will have an exciting team, which with the support of the amazing Dortmund fans will be in a position in the medium term to challenge for the title and win it.”

The Bundesliga club moved quickly to sign Adeyemi after losing Erling Haaland to Manchester City this week. The striker is the third national player to sign for Dortmund for next season alongside Niklas Süle and Nico Schlotterbeck. Dortmund are hoping to mount a challenge next season after Bayern Munich secured the latest Bundesliga title to make it ten in a row.

“Karim Adeyemi is a highly-talented, young German national player, whose strength in front of goal and his pace will suit our offensive game,” said Dortmund’s outgoing sporting director Michael Zorc.

“His speed and goal threat are impressive, and although Karim has already come a long way at just 20 from a football and athletic perspective, we see huge development potential in him,” said Zorc’s successor Sebastian Kehl.

Premier League interest

Adeyemi’s agent, Thomas Solomon, revealed that Manchester United had also been interested in signing the 20-year-old, but the youngster had set his heart on Dortmund. Schwabl believes the club is perfect for Adeyemi and praised the parents of the Munich-born striker for making the right choice. “I’m glad that his parents always remained sensible and have never forced him to go straight to England. Karim can make the next stage of his development in Dortmund.” Schwabl is sure that the move is ideal for Adeyemi with the World Cup being held later this year and Germany hosting the European Championships in 2024, adding: “I’m sure he will end up playing in the Premier League.”

In a statement released via the Red Bull Salzburg website, Adeyemi said: “It is not easy for me to find the right words so soon before leaving. What I would like to say is that I am extremely grateful to FC Red Bull Salzburg and everyone who has shared the past four years with me. I have experienced and learned so much in this time – some of which is still hard to believe. In football there is no time to feel sentimental, however, as I have to take my next step. It was important for me that I was able to leave Red Bull Salzburg having achieved another big aim for the season – I am leaving the club as a double winner and that feels fantastic.”

© Andrew Lord 2022