Borussia Dortmund

Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is reportedly in talks with the club regarding a summer exit amid a swell of speculation surrounding his future at Signal Iduna Park. 

Sky Sports News reporter Kaveh Solhekol wrote the Gabon international "wants to leave" the Bundesliga outfit despite enjoying the most prolific season of his career to date in 2016-17:

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang having talks with Borussia Dortmund. Wants to leave. 40 goals this season. Contract runs out 2020

— Kaveh Solhekol (@SkyKaveh) May 29, 2017

It was recently reported by German newspaper Bild that Aubameyang had handed in a transfer request to leave Dortmund, with Manchester City, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain said to be interested (h/t Kevin Beirne of Manchester Evening News).

Of those reported suitors, a move to the Parc des Princes could make for the most logical option; Aubameyang moved to Dortmund from Ligue 1 outfit Saint-Etienne, and PSG may have the financial means to materialise a deal.

What's more, Tom Coast of Sport Witness recently cited a report from beIN Sports' Margot Dumont, which said the Coupe de France champions are already engaged in negotiations with the Black and Yellows:

#PSG and #BVB have apparently started talks over a potential transfer for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. https://t.co/IeDrqOJWEr

— Thomas Coast (@thcoast) May 28, 2017

Despite Dortmund enduring a tough campaign, wherein they finished third in the Bundesliga, Aubameyang has consistently shone as arguably their brightest star and is one of the most coveted attackers in Europe.

Saturday's 2-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt in the DFB-Pokal final gave Dortmund a silver lining, however, and it was little surprise to see Aubameyang rise to the occasion and net the winner in that clash.

It could end up his last contribution in Dortmund colours, however, and BT Sport pundit Raphael Honigstein recently predicted the Gabonese hitman could seek further title prospects elsewhere following that victory:

31 starts 🏃
31 goals ⚽️
DFB-Pokal 🏆@honigstein thinks Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang could tell Dortmund he wants to leave. 😳 pic.twitter.com/cLoZUpnlCj

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) May 29, 2017

Aubameyang wouldn't be the first star to leave Signal Iduna Park after reaching new heights at Dortmund, with Robert Lewandowski, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Mario Gotze all departing the club after success in North Rhine-Westphalia.

He may not be the only high-profile figure to make for pastures new, according to BT Sport commentator Derek Rae, who recently commented on the future prospects for manager Thomas Tuchel:

Strong chance Thomas Tuchel and Pierre-Emmerick Aubameyang will say farewell to @bvb after tonight's DFB-Pokal final against Frankfurt.

— Derek Rae (@RaeComm) May 27, 2017

A potential change in manager could also lead to unsettling Aubameyang, who has proved he's capable on the elite stage and is presumably hoping his talents can result in more titles elsewhere.

The 27-year-old would be a welcome addition for just about any club in Europe, and word of his alleged talks to leave Dortmund will undoubtedly put a raft of teams on high alert ahead of the summer transfer window.

Borussia Dortmund have confirmed star forward Marco Reus has suffered yet another serious injury, with this latest setback―a partial ACL tear―set to sideline him for months.

Per the club's official website, he suffered the injury in the DFB-Pokal final against Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday.

The report goes on to state more tests are required to determine exactly how much time the Germany international will miss.

Reus played just one half of the cup final, which BVB won 2-1, before he was replaced. Reports it was due to another injury soon surfaced, although there was cause for optimism when the 27-year-old took part in the post-match celebrations.

This new injury is but the latest in a long line of setbacks for the trickster. Per Transfermarkt.com, his injury history is a long read, including over 10 different spells on the sidelines in just the past two seasons. He also missed out on the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the UEFA 2016 European Championship. 

Fortunately for club and player, this particular injury comes right at the end of the season, giving Reus time to recover.

Borussia Dortmund's 2-1 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt saw manager Thomas Tuchel's side end their season winning their fourth DFB-Pokal Trophy.

Ousmane Dembele opened the scoring for the Black and Yellows with a sensational strike across goal after just eight minutes, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's second-half penalty put Dortmund back ahead after Ante Rebic's equaliser.

Substitute Christian Pulisic came off the bench to win the spot-kick that granted Aubameyang his match-winning opportunity, although Bleacher Report's Lars Pollmann testified it was no easy triumph:

https://twitter.com/LarsPollmann/status/868556515602558977

Aubameyang has been more than happy to feature as Aubameyang's talisman on a frequent basis this season, and Saturday's grudge match was no different: 

Mood: pic.twitter.com/hE9AOlLOXH

— B/R Football (@brfootball) May 27, 2017

Tuchel's side unsurprisingly looked to assume the aggressor role early on against a side that held 49.9 per cent of the ball on average in the Bundesliga this season, per WhoScored.com.

Their initiative yielded results before long when Dembele latched on to Lukasz Piszczek's ball down the right and scorched a blazing strike into the top-left corner.

Young though he may be, Dembele's cut inside off his right before slotting inside the far post with his left was further indication he's looked like no novice in his maiden Dortmund term, per the Bundesliga website's Alex Chaffer:

20-year-old Dembélé has contributed to 31 goals in his first season with Borussia Dortmund.

Wahnsinn.

— Alex Chaffer (@AlexChaffer) May 27, 2017

Frankfurt reacted exactly as they'd hope to falling behind, however, and despite soaking up a wealth of pressure in the minutes after, it was actually Niko Kovac's men who enjoyed the better chances for a period.

Rebic finally showed a clinical touch to capitalise upon Mijat Gacinovic's expert through ball, scything into the box before side-footing home the equaliser to improve upon an impressive scoring record for Croatians in this fixture, per OptaFranz:

4 - Following Klasnic, Petric and Olic Ante Rebic (@eintracht_eng) is the 4th Croatian to score in a DFB Pokal final. Kovac. #SGEBBVB

— OptaFranz (@OptaFranz) May 27, 2017

Seferovic had the last great opportunity of the first period and hit the post with minutes left on the clock. BT Sport commentator Derek Rae summarised an encapsulating first half:

Great DFB-Pokal final so far. Dortmund technique v Frankfurt robustness/clever tactics. BVB wobbling at the back. Eintracht impressing. 1:1.

— Derek Rae (@RaeComm) May 27, 2017

Marco Reus and Marcel Schmelzer came off with injuries at the break and were replaced by Pulisic and Gonzalo Castro, with a particular pressure on the American youngster to make the difference for his side.

Shinji Kagawa created the first big opportunity of the second half when he flashed the ball across goal from the left on 50 minutes, with Frankfurt's defence stretched to its limit trying to stop Pulisic from nudging his men ahead.

The Black and Yellows were made to wait another quarter of an hour before they finally got their opening, when Pulisic was clipped by Frankfurt goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky inside the area.

Raphael Guerreiro's superb scoop into the box had enough for Pulisic to chase before he nudged the ball past Hradecky, and Aubameyang stepped up to convert with a Panenka chip. Squawka referenced his soaring strike rate:

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has now scored 40 goals in 46 games across all competitions this season.

Ice-cool composure. ❄️ pic.twitter.com/03qpJc1vQR

— Squawka (@Squawka) May 27, 2017

Dortmund looked capable of adding more goals to their name in the remaining 25 minutes, and neutrals will have been disappointed to see Frankfurt's fire simmer in the closing stages.

Tuchel's men might have added more to their account. Aubameyang and Castro had opportunities to kill the game, although it was Sokratis who almost turned the ball into his own net to grant Frankfurt their leveller. 

Frankfurst made a stellar start to the 2016-17 Bundesliga campaign before tumbling down to finish 11th overall, which in a way summed up their attempt to haul down a superior Dortmund on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the Black and Yellows can relish a trophy win despite their third-placed finish, with some questions lingering as to whether this may be Tuchel's last season in charge of the side.

Borussia Dortmund will take on Eintracht Frankfurt in the DFB-Pokal final on Saturday at the Olympiastadion in Berlin.

BVB have reached the final for the fourth year in a row but lost all three previous efforts, twice to Bayern Munich either side of a defeat to Wolfsburg, and they'll be looking to finish a slightly disappointing domestic season on a high note.

Frankfurt have won the competition four times in their history—once more than their opponents—but their last win came in 1988, having lost to Bayern in their only final since, in 2006.

Read on for a preview of the showpiece, but first, here are the viewing details you'll need to catch the action.

         

Date: Saturday, May 27

Time: 7 p.m. BST/2 p.m. ET

TV: BT Sport ESPN (UK), ESPN3 (U.S.)

Live Stream: BT Sport Player (UK), WatchESPN (U.S.)

      

By their own standards, it hasn't been a vintage season for Dortmund in the Bundesliga.

Not only did they not finish in the top two because of RB Leipzig's incredible rise, they amassed just 64 points, 14 fewer than last year.

However, they do boast one of the most in-form strikers in European football in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang:

This morning:
Lewandowski 30, Aubameyang 29

Full-time:
Lewandowski 30, @Aubameyang7 31

🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/JL3LKSJxef

— B/R Football (@brfootball) May 20, 2017

Since February 25, the forward has only failed to find the net on four occasions in all competitions, and in the other 13 matches played, he's plundered a magnificent 18 goals.

The 27-year-old has a particularly good understanding with team-mate Ousmane Dembele, per Squawka Football:

Ousmane Dembélé has now assisted Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang 10 times in the #Bundesliga this season; the most common duo in the league.

👬 pic.twitter.com/hrhniFM95C

— Squawka (@Squawka) May 20, 2017

Not only will Frankfurt have to contain Aubameyang, they'll have a whole host of threats to deal with including Dembele, Marco Reus and Shinji Kagawa.

BVB have repeatedly shown their vulnerability to counter-attacks this season, though, and they only conceded three fewer than Frankfurt's 43 in the Bundesliga, so the two sides are comparable defensively and there are likely to be opportunities for the Eagles during the game.

It will also be a blow to Dortmund should Marcel Schmelzer be missing. He is in serious doubt for the match, per ESPN FC's Stefan Buczko:

Tuchel: "Marcel Schmelzer picked up an injury in his left thigh. It'll be super close for him to make the cup final." #bvbsvw

— Stefan Buczko (@StefanBuczko) May 20, 2017

The German has been a regular fixture on the left for BVB this season, and his defensive solidity and reliability will be missed if he's unable to play.

Dortmund and Frankfurt have shared the spoils this season with each winning on home turf, the former's 3-1 victory in April being the most recent.

BVB will rightfully be considered favourites and should be able to come out on top on Saturday, but they're not infallible, and Frankfurt can capitalise on that if they play well.

German federal prosecutors have determined there was no terrorist motive behind the attack on Borussia Dortmund's team bus before their UEFA Champions League first-leg defeat to AS Monaco on April 11.

Dortmund prosecutors will take over the probe, which saw a German-Russian man—identified as Sergej W. in order to protect his identity—arrested on April 21 in connection with multiple explosions, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN FC).

According to the report, the suspect disguised the bombing as Islamic terrorism after he "took out a five-figure loan to bet that Borussia Dortmund shares would drop."

The Black and Yellows lost 3-2 in the first leg of the fixture, which was postponed by just a day after the attack happened, before sealing their exit from the competition with a 6-3 aggregate defeat to Monaco.

Centre-back Marc Bartra was the only Dortmund player to suffer major injury as a result of the attack. He underwent surgery on his arm and hand after breaking a radial bone and suffering damage from debris.

At the time of the attack, CNN reported that a letter was found at the scene demanding Tornado jets be taken out of Syria, as well as insisting upon a German army base to be closed:

JUST IN:

- Handwritten letter found at scene of Dortmund attack
- One person temporarily detained
- Suspected terrorist link#BVBASM pic.twitter.com/nh5fwQ5BxD

— CNN Sports (@cnnsport) April 12, 2017

It now appears those demands were an attempt to further convince police the Dortmund bombing was an act of terrorism rather than attempted financial gain.

Squawka reporter Greg Johnson described his reaction after reports first arose regarding the attack's real cause last month:

https://twitter.com/gregianjohnson/status/855312717279764482

Due to the fact federal prosecutors determined the attack was "solely because of financial interests," the incident can't be considered a significant attack on the state, resulting in Dortmund authorities taking over.

Bundesliga football expert Raphael Honigstein said on ESPN that Dortmund's Champions League displays thereafter were "tainted by the attack on the team bus."

Borussia Dortmund midfielder Julian Weigl will be out for up to four months after breaking his ankle against Augsburg.

The club's official Twitter account (h/t DW Sports) confirmed the news after the bitter blow for the talented youngster.

The 21-year-old signed from 1860 Munich in 2015 and has quickly developed into one of Germany's burgeoning talents.

The defensive midfielder has featured in 39 matches in the Bundesliga and UEFA Champions League this season, according to WhoScored.com.

BVB will miss the player's concentration and positional work, but Weigl will now have the summer to be ready for the 2017-18 campaign.

Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has met with Paris Saint-Germain to discuss a potential transfer to the Ligue 1 champions.

According to France Football (h/t Get France Football News), the player and his father "met with PSG Director of Football Patrick Kluivert in Milan in mid-January."

PSG are yet to replace Zlatan Ibrahimovic with a big-name signing, and Aubameyang has proved to be one of the Bundesliga's most prolific talents in front of goal.

The 27-year-old has once again achieved a phenomenal strike rate this term, scoring 27 goals in 28 games in the German league, according to WhoScored.com.

The player has previously played in France, turning out for Saint-Etienne before leaving for BVB in 2013.

For more news, rumors and related stories about Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Paris Saint-Germain and Ligue 1, check out the Paris Saint-Germain and Ligue 1 streams on Bleacher Report's app.  

German-Russian national Sergej W was arrested Friday as a suspect in relation to the April 11 explosives attack on the Borussia Dortmund bus.

According to Philip Oltermann of the Guardian, Sergej is suspected of carrying out the attack in an effort to impact the club's share price.

Oltermann noted German media reports say the 28-year-old bought 15,000 shares in the team for €78,000 with a put option, which means he had the right to sell the shares back at a predetermined price before a set time in the future.

Had the club's share price dropped as a result of the attack, it is estimated the put option would have increased and he could have sold the shares back for as much as €3.9 million.

The attack occurred prior to Dortmund's Champions League match against AS Monaco and resulted in defender Marc Bartra suffering a broken wrist.

The suspect stayed at the same hotel as the Dortmund team in an alleged effort to watch the attack play out.

The damage of the bombing was limited due to the second device exploding above ground.

Per Melissa Eddy of the New York Times, Sergej has been charged with attempted murder, inflicting serious bodily harm and carrying out an explosion.

Borussia Dortmund star Marc Bartra, who was hospitalised after Tuesday's bombing incident ahead of the UEFA Champions League match against AS Monaco, has described the experience as "the worst 15 minutes of his life."

As reported by Marca, the former Barcelona defender provided an update on his progress from the hospital on Instagram:

My family have again visited me in the hospital, they are my everything.

They are the reason I struggle to overcome obstacles - and this has been the worst of my life, an experience I would not want for anyone in this world.

The pain, panic and uncertainty of not knowing what was going on, or how long it would last ... were the longest and hardest 15 minutes of my life.

To everyone I want to say that I think that the shock is decreasing by the day.

Bartra was taken to the hospital after breaking his wrist during the explosion. The incident occurred near the team bus shortly before the scheduled match at the Signal Iduna Park.

Bartra also had a message for the Dortmund fans:

I want to see the stands full of people who love our profession again, good people who just want to make us feel the emotions that allow us to forget the increasingly crazy world we live in.

The only thing I ask, THE ONLY, is may we all live in peace and leave war behind.

These days when I look at my wrist, swollen and badly injured, do you know what I feel? Pride.

I look at it proudly thinking that all the damage they wanted to do on Tuesday, stayed in this.

BBC Sport shared this photo of the Spain international after his surgery, along with a timetable for his recovery from manager Thomas Tuchel:

Some great news from Borussia Dortmund.

'Marc Bartra will be fit again in about four weeks'.

More: https://t.co/qSymLLHl34 pic.twitter.com/wOofonWOlB

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) April 13, 2017

The match between Dortmund and Monaco was moved to Wednesday, when the French side beat BVB 3-2. The two teams will meet again on April 19, and Bartra could well be in the stands by then.

If he is, he can expect a hero's welcome, even in France. Both sets of fans behaved splendidly after the incident and again on Wednesday, as shared by Monaco's official Twitter account:

Monaco fans welcome @BVB players with chants of "Dortmund, Dortmund!" 👏 pic.twitter.com/b362CzVPXc

(🎥: @AS_Monaco)

— B/R Football (@brfootball) April 12, 2017

For more news, rumors and related stories about Marc Bartra, Borussia Dortmund and the Bundesliga, check out the BVB and Bundesliga streams on Bleacher Report's app.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has spoken of the "shock" he saw in the faces of Borussia Dortmund players after their team bus was hit with three explosions on Tuesday.

The attack on the Bundesliga club's vehicle left their defender Marc Bartra in hospital with a fractured wrist and meant their UEFA Champions League match with AS Monaco was put back until Wednesday. Dortmund lost the match 3-2.

Speaking at his press conference on Thursday, Klopp, a former manager at the Westfalenstadion, revealed his feelings about the incident, per Alex Smith of the Daily Mirror:

I know exactly the road. A lot of my friends were in the bus. I was on the way home from Melwood and Matt called me and told me something happened.

I was really concerned, scared for them. In the first moment it was a bit of relief, then you hear the more information you get the more serious it got.

I had contact with people but I didn’t want to bother them with my silly questions. I was waiting with the rest of the world. The last thing I thought about was the game.

[…] I was really proud of Borussia Dortmund. When they played the game they tried to give the best. I saw the faces of my former players and I saw the shock in their eyes and that was really, really hard.

Klopp enjoyed a prosperous seven-year stay at Dortmund before his departure in 2015, winning two Bundesliga titles.

Many of the players he worked with at the club remain part of the squad, too, including the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Shinji Kagawa and Sven Bender. The manager has a huge affinity with the club's supporters, having guided them back to the top level of German and European football with a swagger.

The decision to play the match so quickly after the attacks has prompted some criticism, with manager Thomas Tuchel suggesting UEFA made the team feel "impotent" by swiftly rearranging the fixture, per Mark Dobson of the Guardian.

Klopp suggested European football’s governing body had a tough decision to make. "I can 100 percent understand both sides—it was difficult to find another date," said the former Dortmund boss. "I think everybody could understand if you couldn’t play it."

Liverpool were one of the first clubs to send their well wishes to Dortmund when the news of the bus explosions broke:

Thinking about all of our friends at @BVB this evening. YNWA. pic.twitter.com/yhcugXvPb6

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) April 11, 2017

The attack happened on Tuesday as the BVB bus left their hotel. German police have since confirmed that a person with "Islamist links" has been detained in connection with the incident, while they remain on the hunt for another suspect, per the BBC.

As noted in the same piece, it was also revealed the bombs contained pieces of shrapnel and that a shard was stuck in the headrest of one of the seats on board.