Dortmund complete the signing of Cologne’s striker Modeste
Borussia Dortmund confirmed the acquisition of veteran Cologne striker Anthony Modeste on Monday as a substitute for Sebastien Haller, who is receiving cancer treatment.
Dortmund finished second in the Bundesliga last season and lost top scorer Erling Haaland to Manchester City in the offseason.
Modeste, 34, passed a physical on Monday and signed a one-year contract with Dortmund, according to the club.
Anthony Modeste joins BVB from 1. FC Köln on a one-year contract. The 34-year-old Frenchman will be wearing number 20 🤝
— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) August 8, 2022
More high-profile attackers, such as Memphis Depay, Mauro Icardi, Edinson Cavani, and Luis Suarez, were considered for the role, but Dortmund chose Modeste owing to his knowledge with the Bundesliga.
Sporting director Sebastian Kehl said that Dortmund is pleased to add a “classic striker” to their team for the next season.
Modeste is a “seasoned professional who understands the Bundesliga extremely well, who scored 20 goals last season and who, given his profile, can take on precisely the position that our coach Edin Terzic envisions,” according to Kehl.
According to German media reports, Dortmund will pay roughly five million euros ($5.1 million) to Cologne for Modeste.
Dortmund were looking for someone to lead the line this season after Haller was ruled out for the season after being diagnosed with a tumor last month.
He had surgery and will be out of commission for many months.
Dortmund won 1-0 against Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday to kick off the 2022-23 season.