BVB youngster Hendry Blank only celebrated his Bundesliga debut this January, but now the central defender has surprisingly moved on to RB Salzburg. Dortmund are losing a top talent, but will be compensated with a transfer fee in the millions
This transfer comes as a surprise: youngster Hendry Blank, who made his first Bundesliga appearance in BVB’s 4-0 win in Cologne, will slip into the jersey of RB Salzburg if the deal goes through as planned on Thursday. The “Bild” first reported the news. Borussia is thus losing a top talent that professional coach Edin Terzic has regularly raved about in recent months. Nevertheless, the transfer fee for the 19-year-old is said to be up to seven million euros. An impressive sum for a young player who has only been able to prove his suitability for senior football in 13 third division games and one half in the Bundesliga so far.
Blank, who still had a contract at Dortmund until 2025, was most recently BVB’s No. 4 central defender – behind Mats Hummels, Nico Schlotterbeck and Niklas Süle. Antonios Papadopoulos, an U-23 player who was also recently considered a candidate for sale but will now probably have to stay until the end of the season, is now likely to take up this position again
Bundesliga debut in Cologne, “because he’s good “
“Hendry is an outstanding youngster. He’s a lot of fun and a fantastic player who we think the world of,” Terzic had already praised Blank last summer. After his Bundesliga debut, the 41-year-old said: “Hendry is with us for two reasons: because he’s good and because he deserves it. Hendry is a great guy and a hard-working boy.” Blank’s premiere in the top flight is “a wonderful story”.
Blank’s story at BVB, on the other hand, is now over. In Salzburg, the central defender should have a much better chance of regular professional appearances, as the path to the starting eleven at BVB still seemed very long for the under-20 international, despite his debut just two weeks ago. In the end, it must have been relatively easy for both BVB and Blank, who received generous compensation in view of the general conditions, to agree to the deal.
