Borussia Dortmund have completed the signing of Giannis Konstantelias from PAOK Thessaloniki, with the 23-year-old putting pen to paper on a four-year contract that runs until 2030. The deal is worth €26m guaranteed, with a further €6m available in add-ons, taking the total package close to €30m. PAOK have also secured a 15% sell-on clause, meaning they will take a cut of any future fee if Dortmund sell the player on. Konstantelias passed a medical in Dortmund on the Sunday before the move was announced.
The fee makes this the biggest sale in PAOK's history, overtaking the money the club received last year when striker Stefanos Tzimas moved to Nuremberg for close to €22m. It is a striking piece of business for a club outside Europe's traditional big five leagues, and it comes in a summer in which several young Greek players have attracted serious interest from clubs across the continent.
Dortmund moved for Konstantelias after Karim Adeyemi's departure to Barcelona left a gap in their attacking options. The Greek international plays as an attacking midfielder and is comfortable centrally, though he has also operated across the front line. His close control, dribbling and end product were seen as a good match for Niko Kovac's system, which is built around a front three rather than orthodox wingers. Sporting director Sebastian Kehl is understood to have laid out a specific role for Konstantelias within the team before the deal was finalised, and the club moved quickly once serious talks with PAOK began. He arrives in the same window as Dutch midfielder Joey Veerman, signed from PSV, as Dortmund round off a busy summer of business.
Konstantelias was PAOK's second-highest scorer last season, contributing eight goals and two assists in the Greek Super League from an attacking midfield role, with an average match rating above 7.1 that reflected his growing influence on the team. That output, combined with his performances for Greece, turned him from a promising squad player into one of the most sought-after young attackers outside Europe's biggest leagues, with Dortmund among a number of clubs who tracked him closely before making their move.
For PAOK, the sale removes their leading creative outlet at an awkward moment. The club were recently eliminated from Europe by Anderlecht and are preparing for a Conference League play-off against Brann, and the timing of the deal angered a section of supporters. Fans gathered at Toumba stadium with flares and banners to protest against the sale and the manner in which it was handled, with the ultras group Gate 4 pushing for talks with the club's ownership. PAOK will bank a club-record fee, but replacing Konstantelias' goals and creativity in the middle of a season will not be straightforward.
At Dortmund, Konstantelias is expected to compete for a central attacking role just behind the front line, giving Kovac another player capable of running at defenders and creating chances in tight spaces. "I am very much looking forward to playing for Borussia Dortmund in future," Konstantelias said after signing. "BVB is a great club and I will give my all to be successful here." How quickly he adjusts to the pace and physicality of the Bundesliga will determine how soon he becomes a regular starter.
