Borussia Dortmund wants to dip its hand in the British market for another exciting prospect after recording success with Jadon Sancho and Jude Bellingham.
The Bundesliga side has a reputation for identifying young talents and signing them for a small fee, then selling them for a substantial fee later.
They have enjoyed success in the past with British youngsters, signing Jadon Sancho for €5million before selling him a few years later for almost 15 times that amount.
They also signed Jude Bellingham from Championship side Birmingham City for a reported £25 million fee and could sell the player for seven times that amount this summer. They also signed rising star Jamie Byone-Gittens from City in 2020.
Having enjoyed success with British talent, they want to repeat their trick this summer by signing Manchester City youngster Shea Charles. According to the German publication BILD, BVB wishes to bring the player to Signal Iduna Park as a possible replacement for sought-after Bellingham, who could be sold this summer.
Charles is a full Northern Ireland international but has yet to make his senior debut for City after graduating from their academy. The 19-year-old has five caps for his country and made his debut in 2022 in a 1-0 defeat to Greece.
His contract at Manchester City runs until 2027 after he signed a long-term deal in January 2022. The Northern Irish youngster was named on the first team substitutes’ bench last month in City’s draw at RB Leipzig in the last 16 of the Champions League.
Dortmund sees similarities between Charles and Bellingham even though he is more defensively-minded than the BVB player. He can play as a centre-back or right-back if required, akin to Emre Can’s role at the German side.
However, it is still unclear if Charles is keen on a move to Germany, although he could be tempted by the prospect of first-team action given the success of other City academy graduates at Signal Iduna Park.