Dortmund won’t allow Julian Weigl to move to Tottenham in January

Julian Weigl would be a smart January signing for Tottenham, but Dortmund aren’t about to let him leave Germany during the season.

Tottenham continue to scour Europe to find Mousa Dembele’s long-term successor. The latest target to emerge on Mauricio Pochettino’s wish list is Dortmund star Julian Weigl. Unfortunately for Spurs, the earliest they’ll be permitted to bring him to North London is this summer.

Bild have the report claiming that Dortmund are adamantly opposed to letting Weigl leave this season. It’s possible they will entertain bids when the summer transfer window opens, but that’s not a certainty either. Despite his lack of match time this year, there are still high hopes for him among some of the club’s higher-ups.

It’s worth noting that despite Dortmund’s insistence they won’t sell Weigl this month, numerous clubs continue to show strong interest in the player. Tottenham, Roma and PSG are all specifically mentioned as clubs that would like to give Weigl a chance to flourish outside the Bundesliga.

It’s not hard to imagine Weigl being frustrated with his current situation. He’s only played 241 minutes in the league to date. That’s not enough time on the pitch for a 23-year-old with so much talent.

The real question here is whether or not Tottenham will try to turn Weigl’s head with a juicy contract offer. That’s not the club’s usual mode of operation, but there is increasing pressure on Spurs to make a big purchase in January. Securing Weigl as Dembele’s replacement in the midfield could be the difference between a quality season and quality silverware for Pochettino and company.

After all, Weigl is just the sort of energetic midfielder that the Argentine gaffer clearly wants to add to his options in the middle of the pitch. Players like Eric Dier and Victor Wanyama provide a physical presence in the double-pivot, but they don’t drive play forward. Right now Moussa Sissoko is playing that role for Pochettino, but it’s unclear whether or not he can keep it up for a full season.

Even if Spurs do elect to table a quality bid, Dortmund aren’t under any pressure to let Weigl leave. The club are on very solid financial footing. It would likely take an outrageous transfer offer to even cause them to consider selling Weigl. The chance of Tottenham making that kind of bid are slight, at best.

As such, look for Weigl to stay at Dortmund for the foreseeable future. Spurs might come back in for him this summer, but a January move doesn’t seem likely at all.