Exclusive: Star linked with Arsenal & Chelsea was open to Premier League transfer, says expert

Borussia Dortmund are looking set to win the race for the transfer of Stuttgart striker Serhou Guirassy, according to Fabrizio Romano, who has also spoken about interest and links with Premier League clubs.

Speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside for his latest Daily Briefing column, Romano explained that Guirassy has chosen Dortmund after they showed an interest in him for a long time, with the Guinea international also never as strongly targeted by Arsenal and Chelsea as other sources had suggested.

One imagines Guirassy could have been a useful signing for a number of top clubs around Europe, as he looked a superbly prolific finisher in the Bundesliga last season, but Romano says both Arsenal and Chelsea have other priorities.

It’s a blow for Stuttgart, however, as they’re losing a star player on the cheap to a major rival, with Romano providing further insight into the details of the deal in today’s column.

Guirassy transfer situation explained by Romano

“Serhou Guirassy is set to become a new Borussia Dortmund player – it’s a ‘here we go’ because the player has given the green light to Dortmund as he’s decided to leave Stuttgart after his fantastic form there last season. Dortmund are also signing another player from Stuttgart, their centre-back Waldemar Anton. With both players, BVB are triggering their release clauses, €17.5m for Guirassy, and €22.5m for Anton,” Romano said.

“Everything is in place for Guirassy to join Dortmund after he agreed on the contract and the salary, but we’ve also had many rumours about other clubs, including Arsenal. My understanding is that Arsenal were never really interested in Guirassy as they’re looking at a different kind of player. Same for Chelsea, who were linked but who were never really pushing for Guirassy, while AC Milan was another name mentioned but they’re also focusing on different players.

“Many clubs were interested in Guirassy, for example West Ham, but now it’s ‘here we go’ for him to join Dortmund as we just wait for the formal steps to be finalised. Dortmund were always the clear favourites for this deal – the truth is they were planning with Guirassy to join since March. Yes, he was open to the Premier League or Serie A but BVB decided to go very strong for him and this was appreciated on the player side.”