What Future For Youssoufa Moukoko At Borussia Dortmund? | OneFootball

After a promising start in France, Youssoufa Moukoko is once more facing uncertainty. What prospects are there for a future at Borussia Dortmund and his career?

Moukoko was once considered one of the brightest talents in German football, scoring 236 goals at youth level for ‘Die Schwarz-Gelben’. In 2019 alone, he scored 46 for the U19s — a German record.

At just 16 years and one day, he became the youngest Bundesliga player of all time, making his debut in the 5-2 win against Hertha Berlin in November 2020.

The 1.79m centre-forward went on to make 76 appearances for Dortmund’s first team.

Despite the 17 goals scored, the signing of Maximilian Beier from Hoffenheim and VfB Stuttgart’s top scorer Serhou Guirassy, who scored 25 goals in 23/24, meant the door was open for the young striker.

His loan to French club OGC Nice, which initially seemed like a promising opportunity, turned into a setback. After a convincing start — two goals and an assist in the 8-0 win against Saint-Étienne — Moukoko increasingly lost touch.

He hasn’t played a competitive game since February 5th. Instead, he mostly found himself on the bench or in the stands. In January, the French sports newspaper L’Equipe had clear words: “He has completely lost his confidence.”

In the spring of 2025, the still 20-year-old finds himself at a turning point, where he is faced with the question: What’s next for his career?

Moukoko, who is valued at €10m by Transfermarkt, has a contract with BVB until 2026. The striker has not scored a goal in Ligue 1 since the start of the year, and his playing time is limited to a meagre 20 minutes in 2025.

Speaking to L’Equipe in April, Frank Haise, manager of the 4-time French champions, has already indicated that the club does not intend to take up the contractually agreed €18m buy option.

Moukoko’s prospects at BVB, to whom he will return in the summer, are unclear. His contract runs until 2026, but his reported annual salary of €8.5 million is seen as a stumbling block, in particular due to the still uncertain qualification for European competition.

With Serhou Guirassy a runaway success with his 27 goals this season, and Maximilian Beier scoring regularly, but also Karim Adeyemi and Jamie Gittens showing they can be relied on, Moukoko’s future at the Westfalenstadion seems questionable.

With Niko Kovac’s team still battling for a European finish, the transfer budget available may be limited in the summer. In spite of England U21 player Jamie Gittens being in demand, and the prospect of a substantial transfer fee for the winger, who has scored 8 goals in 24/25, both from a sporting and a financial perspective, the prospects for Moukoko seem limited.

To make matters worse, despite scoring 13 goals in 15 games, Moukoko has also recently been dropped by manager Antonio Di Salvo from the U21 national team, meaning participation in the European Championship in Slovakia this summer is probably off the table too.

The exclusion is a bitter setback for a player who was once considered a symbol of the German Football Association’s young talent development programme.

Only Terem Moffi scored regularly in 23/24 for Nice, so Moukoko’s prospects seemed good.  Speaking to Kicker in the summer: “I immediately felt that this club needed me.” That promise, however, has not been fulfilled.

With 3 games remaining in Ligue 1, there is little chance of redemption. What now remains is the prospect of another restart. Where and under what conditions is currently open, but a permanent return to BVB seems distant.