Talent at a dead end: Borussia Dortmund are reportedly considering a loan move in the winter

It was only this summer that Justin Lerma moved from his native Ecuador to Dortmund. There, the situation for the 18-year-old is already quite complicated.

According to Ruhr Nachrichten, Borussia Dortmund are already considering sending Lerma out on loan next winter.

The midfielder is dealing with several issues at once, and they leave his future with last season's runners-up looking bleak. His chances of first-team minutes under Niko Kovac are currently close to zero given the competition in midfield. He is also sidelined with a muscle injury.

On top of that, Ruhr Nachrichten add that employment law rules prevent him from playing for Borussia Dortmund's Under-23s in the Regionalliga.

That leaves him with only the Under-21 competition, the Premier League International Cup, and the schedule does not have him in action again until mid-December. Lerma played just over an hour at the start of the PLIC, scoring in Borussia Dortmund's 4-1 win over Fulham as the defending champions opened their campaign.

What do Borussia Dortmund have planned for Justin Lerma?

Dortmund had already considered sending the talented teenager out on loan in the summer, soon after his €4 million arrival from Independiente del Valle and his contract signing until 2031. They decided against it at the time because Lerma was supposed to settle into his new surroundings first.

Given the current situation, though, a loan move to a club where the attacking midfielder can play regularly now looks like the preferred option.