Even before his first competitive match: new signing could apparently leave Borussia Dortmund again already
Justin Lerma has only officially been a Borussia Dortmund player since the start of July. Could there already be a rapid departure just around two months later?
As WAZ reports, Borussia Dortmund's hierarchy are at least considering a possible loan move for the midfielder, who only arrived in Dortmund this summer from Independiente del Valle in Ecuador.
WAZ sees it as a sign that Lerma could leave on a temporary deal sooner rather than later after BVB coach Niko Kovac left the new signing out completely in recent friendlies. Lerma stayed on the bench for the full 90 minutes in last weekend's 2-2 draw against Roma and in the previous 3-2 win against Arsenal.
Kovac's latest comments also suggest the 18-year-old is going through the expected teething problems as he adapts to German football and still has work to do, especially when it comes to physical robustness.
"We can't play everyone," Kovac is quoted as saying by WAZ regarding Lerma's recent lack of game time. "He still needs time and that's completely normal. There are language difficulties. When you look at him, he's still a little slight as well, so we need to put a bit of weight on him or work on his fitness," said Kovac, who did, however, stress: "The lad is part of the team like everyone else."
Justin Lerma initially set for the Regionalliga at Borussia Dortmund?
The report does not say whether any clubs are already in the frame for a loan move for Lerma. If the Ecuadorian stays in Dortmund, the most likely scenario is said to be that he would first be introduced to Bundesliga level through appearances for the reserve side in the Regionalliga.
Competition in Lerma's position in central midfield, ideally in an attacking role, has intensified significantly in recent weeks. Borussia Dortmund have brought in three notable new signings there in Konstantinos Karetsas (from KRC Genk), Giannis Konstantelias (from PAOK Saloniki) and Joey Veerman (from PSV Eindhoven), all of whom will be pushing for a regular starting spot.
Back in May 2024, Borussia Dortmund had already wrapped up the signing of Lerma. Under FIFA statutes, a move for the youngster, for whom a fee of four million euros was due, only became possible once he had turned 18 at the beginning of May 2026. His contract in Dortmund runs until 2031.
Lerma made his debut in Ecuador's top flight as a 15-year-old, and despite his age he already has 43 competitive appearances for Independiente del Valle, with two goals. In 2025, then aged 17, he became Ecuadorian champion as a regular starter.
