Borussia Dortmund are on the cusp of signing the Belgium national player Axel Witsel. The World Cup bronze medallist joined up with the BVB team today at midday, with the group currently undertaking their summer training camp in Bad Ragaz (Switzerland).

Witsel had activated the exit clause written into his contract with Chinese club Tianjin Quanjian in accordance with its deadline on Sunday. Borussia Dortmund had in turn informed Tianjin Quanjian that they were prepared to meet the transfer fee.

Witsel has agreed a deal with BVB that will keep him at the club until 30 June 2022. The transfer should be made official within the next few days via the “FIFA TMS”.

Witsel has been pulling the strings for years as a defensive midfielder in the Belgium team that placed third at the World Cup (96 international matches/nine goals). He celebrated domestic league titles with his teammates at both Standard Liège (2008 and 2009) and Zenit St. Petersburg (2015) and has the experience of 40 Champions League matches (two goals).

Borussia Dortmund’s Sporting Director Michael Zorc emphasized: “We have been very interested in bringing Axel to the club for a number of months now and are really happy that he has opted for Borussia Dortmund. Axel is a player of great international experience who brings all the qualities required to make a mark on the BVB midfield: tactical awareness, strength when challenging for the ball, pace, creativity, and mentality.”

“After the World Cup, I was determined to transfer back to Europe”, said Witsel. “I am really happy and also proud that I will soon be able to play for BVB. I didn’t have to think about it for very long after our first discussion because Borussia Dortmund is one of the best clubs on the continent in my opinion. I honestly cannot wait to run out in front of 81,000 people.”