Who is Karim Adeyemi? Borussia Dortmund striker linked with Real Madrid

Real Madrid’s hunt for a hunter continues. Or, perhaps a better way to put it: a killer. After the shock departure of Ballon d’Or winner, Karim Benzema, the club from the Spanish capital are in need of a number nine ahead of a season in which they need to make up a huge points gap on FC Barcelona as well as try to claw back some European prestige after being outclassed by Manchester City.

The squashing and kneading of the squad mass done by Carlo Ancelotti’s hands has already produced Brahim, Fran García and Jude Bellingham, a young trio of players who impressed in the different elite leagues across Europe last season. But there is still work to be done; a goalscorer is needed and it seems as though the name of Karim Adeyemi is next on the list: but who is the 21-year-old German? Is there another reason, apart from his first name, why Madrid fans are so excited?

Who is Karim Adeyemi?

Karim David Adeyemi was born in 2002 and currently plays for Borussia Dortmund, either as a striker or just off the right. He made the move to the Black & Yellow in 2022 after bursting onto the scene of European football for RB Salzburg in Austria, where he scored 27 goals in 68 games. For Dortmund in the 22/23 season, he managed to get 6 goals and 6 assists in 24 league games played.

His style of play is characterised by his close control, his shooting ability from all angles and his incredibly fast running/dribbling speed. Nothing exemplified these standout qualities last season more than his incredible solo goal against Chelsea in the Champions League: taking the ball in his own half, Adeyemi burned away from the group of players in the box that were attacking the ball from a Chelsea corner.

He came up against Enzo Fernández - voted the Best Young Player of the World Cup just months before and subsequently cost Chelsea over €100 million - and swept the ball past him, sending the midfielder spiralling down like a fallen leaf in the wind. Now in the box after driving forward for around 40 yards, Adeyemi tempted out Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa (the most expensive goalkeeper in the world) and slid the ball past him as the Spaniard fell to the floor. The tap in was easy and the celebrations were ecstatic.

How much would Adeyemi cost Real Madrid?

In 2022, he made his debut for the German National Team, and has one goal in 4 games. Although he did not play, he was a part of the squad for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

The reports of Real Madrid’s interest come from BILD in Germany, who claim that Dortmund, despite having an incredibly positive relationship with the Spanish club, would not been keen on selling another star in the same window (after letting Bellingham go), and that only an offer north of €80 million would be sufficient to prize the young striker away.

Of course, Real Madrid have been linked with plenty of names since the departure of Benzema, including Joselu, Harry Kane, Kai Havertz and, of course, Kylian Mbappé. Time will tell which thread the club pulls on, but for now, it’s safe to say that they are not short of names in the pot from which Carlo Ancelotti can choose. Who knows, maybe Karim A might just do a job now that Karim B has gone away.