5 most expensive Borussia Dortmund departures
Borussia Dortmund are renowned for snapping up talented young players and nurturing them until they blossom into world-class personnel before making huge profits on their sale to bigger clubs.
The Bundesliga giants have one of the best scouting networks in Europe's top five leagues in terms of unearthing young talent. Instead of spending big on established names like some of the continent's other elite clubs, Dortmund have taken a path less trodden but no less successful.
Despite fielding one of the youngest rosters in the top five leagues, Dortmund have been Bayern Munich's strongest rivals in the Bundesliga and are regulars in the Champions League.
After their young stars produce eye-catching performances and see their stocks rise, Dortmund jettison these players to the right suitor at the right time for a significant return on their initial investment. Then they re-invest that money on unearthing newer talent, and the cycle continues.
On that note, let's take a look at the five most expensive departures from Borussia Dortmund over the years.
#5 Henrikh Mkhitaryan - €42.5 million (2016)
Borussia Dortmund plucked out Henrikh Mkhitaryan from Shakhtar Donetsk in the summer of 2013, paying the Ukrainian club €22 million for the Armenian's services.
The three-time Ukrainian League winner turned out to be a hit at Dortmund, dishing out 41 goals and 49 assists in 140 games in all competitions. Mkhitaryan's most productive campaign at the Signal Iduna Park was in 2015-16, when he scored 23 goals and registered 32 assists.
Soon, Manchester United came calling for Mkhitaryan, and Dortmund let the central midfielder leave for Old Trafford at a price that was €12 million over his market value at the time.
Although Mkhitaryan enjoyed middling returns at Manchester United and then at Arsenal, the midfielder has rediscovered his mojo at AS Roma, making 43 goal contributions across all competitions at the Serie A club.
#4 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - €63.8 million (2018)
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is one of the most prolific marksmen to have graced the Bundesliga, despite his short four-and-a-half season stint in the competition. The Gabon international was bought by Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2013 for €13 million and hit the ground running at his new club.
Aubameyang contributed a rich tally of 141 goals across competitions in over 200 appearances for the club, with 98 of these strikes coming in the Bundesliga. He was the top scorer in the competition in 2016-17, scoring 31 goals.
Generally, quality players are not available during the winter transfer window. However, the striker, who scored 13 league goals in the 2017-18 season and four in the Champions League, was let go by Borussia Dortmund in January when Arsenal came calling.
Though Aubameyang has not been as prolific at Arsenal as he was at Dortmund, the 32-year-old has still produced impressive returns of 85 goals in nearly 150 games across competitions. He top-scored in the 2018-19 Premier League with 22 strikes.