Bizarre: Witsel's club refuse to acknowledge exit clause
Borussia Dortmund and Axel Witsel believe there is an exit clause in his contract with Tianjin Quanjian. However, the Chinese club deny the validity of the clause.
Is Axel Witsel joining Borussia Dortmund or not? According to various media reports from Germany and Belgium, the midfielder's move to the Westfalenstadion has been imminent for weeks. But still, nothing is official so far. And there's a good reason for the confusion.
Reportedly, there is a €20 million release clause in Witsel's contract with his club Tianjin Quanjian, but the Chinese side deny the validity of the clause. Therefore, Dortmund might require help from the lawyers of FIFA, Bild understands.
If it's not possible for Tianjin Quanjian to keep Witsel, the club plan to appoint negotitators to offer Witsel in England and thus to negotiate a higher transfer fee than €20 million. However, it's highly questionable if a club would want to pay more than the release clause.
Witsel's contract with Tianjin Quanjian runs out in 2019. The 29-year-old central midfielder joined the Chinese club in January 2017.