On Saturday at the Westfalenstadion, Borussia Dortmund beat Hamburger SV to open their 2026-27 Bundesliga campaign with a 2-0 win.
Serhou Guirassy opened the scoring in the ninth minute, while Giannis Konstantelias doubled the home side’s lead in the first minute of added time in the first half.
In the 54th minute, Konstantelias was taken off due to a left knee injury. There are growing fears in Dortmund that the 23-year-old Greek forward suffered a serious injury, possibly a torn ACL.
One potential solution for BVB is their former player, Jadon Sancho, who is currently a free agent.
Jadon Sancho Named as Dortmund Option After Konstantelias Injury
Back on June 10, Manchester United confirmed that they are parting ways with Jadon Sancho after his contract wasn’t renewed.
Sancho has had an uneventful and disappointing spell with the Red Devils since his $100 million move from Dortmund in 2021. He has had loan stints back at BVB, Chelsea and Aston Villa, where he found more success.
The 26-year-old forward reached the 2024 Champions League Final with Dortmund. He won the 2025 Conference League with Chelsea and the 2026 Europa League with Aston Villa.
According to Oliver Maywurm of GOAL.com, Sancho could be a potential option for Dortmund if Giannis Konstantelias’ knee injury is confirmed.
“The Englishman would be a predestined solution, is a similar type of player to Konstantelias and, like him and (Konstantinos) Karetsas, has the quality to create dynamism from a standing start,” Maywurm wrote. “There has been no shortage of speculation in recent weeks and months about Sancho returning to BVB once again, although that naturally died down after the signings of Karetsas and Konstantelias.”
Sancho had his best years at Dortmund from 2017 to 2021. He scored 50 goals in all competitions in 137 appearances. He won the DFL-Supercup in 2019 and the DFB Pokal in 2021 with BVB.
His transfer fee isn’t a problem for BVB since he’s going to be a free transfer. It will be his wage that could pose a problem for The Black and Yellows.
In-House Options for Dortmund
Speaking to reporters after their 2-0 win, Dortmund’s sporting director Lars Ricken revealed that they won’t be planning their next steps in terms of transfers just yet. They will wait on the official diagnosis for Giannis Konstantelias.
UPDATE: Dortmund confirmed that Konstantelias suffered a cruciate ligament injury. He was ruled out for several months but not for the rest of the season.
BVB have to make a quick decision since the German transfer window closes on September 1. They have in-house options like Maxi Beier, Samuele Inacio, Marcel Sabitzer and Fabio Silva.
Beier played wingback against Hamburg, while Inacio received a red card in the second half. Sabitzer played well after replacing Konstantelias, while Silva might be unhappy with his lack of minutes since joining last season.
Jadon Sancho Named Dortmund Solution After Konstantelias Injury to Start Season