Arsenal-linked Jamie Bynoe-Gittens could cost significantly less this summer if Borussia Dortmund miss out on Champions League football, which currently looks likely.
The Athletic report that Jamie Bynoe-Gittens has a release clause in his contract, which will be set at €60m (£50.8m) if Borussia Dortmund qualify for the Champions League.
But if they don’t, the clause will fall. And if they miss out on European football completely, it will fall even further.
The report suggests that in the worst-case scenario (which is presumably missing out on Europe completely), Bynoe-Gittens’ release clause would be “well below” €50m (£42.3m).
With SC Freiburg winning their penultimate game on Saturday, Dortmund are in a tough spot to make the top four this season. They’re four points behind fourth, and though they have a game in hand, that game is against second-place Bayer Leverkusen.
Should Leverkusen defeat Dortmund on Sunday afternoon, that will be it for their Champions League hopes. Even if Dortmund win, they’ll have to win on the final day as well, and even that might not be enough.
As for the potential of dropping to seventh and missing out on Europe completely, it’s not that far-fetched. Seventh-place RB Leizpig are currently only behind Dortmund on goal difference, albeit having played a game more.
This is all relevant to Arsenal because The Athletic confirm that the Gunners are one of four interested parties for Bynoe-Gittens this summer. The other three are Chelsea, Bayern Munich, and Barcelona.
The report states that reports of advanced talks are inaccurate, but Bynoe-Gittens does have his backers at Arsenal. It just might require someone like Gabriel Martinelli or Leandro Trossard leaving first.
German outlet Ruhr Nachrichten previously claimed Arsenal were ahead of Chelsea in the race, as they’re a more appealing destination for the player.
Bynoe-Gittens has made 46 appearances for Dortmund this season, starting 34 times. He has 12 goals and five assists in all competitions, including five goal contributions in 14 Champions League matches.