The current campaign might still be in full swing, but the Borussia Dortmund U23 team manager Ingo Preuß is already planning for next season. Three new signings have already been secured at the beginning of this week, with striker Steffen Tigges and defenders Maximilian Hippe and Lars Bünning joining from Osnabrück, league rivals SV Rödinghausen and the Werder Bremen reserves respectively.

The tall and talented forward Steffen Tigges has already made 18 appearances for VfL Osnabrück in the third division this season. The 1.95m-tall frontman came through the youth ranks at the Lower Saxony club and was then promoted to the senior squad last term. In his first campaign as a professional, Tigges made 27 cameo appearances, scoring one goal and claiming two assists in the process. This season has seen Tigges increasingly deployed on the left side of midfield and this versatility is certain to help him once he joins the Borussia Dortmund U23s. As his contract in Osnabrück was due to expire in the summer, the former Germany youth international is joining the Black & Yellows on a free transfer and has signed a deal with the club until 30 June 2021.

The second new signing is the 20-year-old Maximilian Hippe. The 1.94m-tall centre-back has only made one appearance in the Regionalliga West this term due to hip problems, but he earned praise for his performance in the first round of the DFB Cup where he sent his side through by scoring the winning goal in a 3-2 victory over second-tier side Dynamo Dresden in stoppage time of extra-time. The two-footed Hippe has been playing for SV Rödinghausen since U19 level and moved up from the second team to the Regionalliga team at the East-Westphalian club in the summer of 2017. His contract runs out at the end of the season too. Hippe has penned a deal until 30 June 2021.

The third new arrival is Lars Bünning, who has signed a two-year contract until the summer of 2021. The 21-year-old Hamburg native, who is 1.87m-tall, predominantly plays at the heart of defence for the Werder Bremen reserves. Bünning has trained with the Werder Bremen senior squad on several occasions but has ultimately ended up staying with the second team in the Regionalliga Nord. He was a key figure for the U23s at the beginning of the season, making 13 appearances, but he has not featured competitively since October. He initially came through the ranks in Heeslingen before being promoted from the Werder U19s to the U23s.