Borussia Dortmund have signed AIK’s highly rated teenager Alexander Isak for €10m (£8.65m). The 17-year-old, who became Sweden’s youngest ever goalscorer earlier this month, looked set to be joining Real Madrid last week but had a change of heart and opted for the Bundesliga club.
Dortmund have gained a reputation for being one of the best clubs in Europe for young players, having signed and given first-team opportunities to players such as Christian Pulisic (18 years old), Ousmane Dembélé (19), Julian Weigl (21), Emre Mor (19) and Raphaël Guerreiro (23).
The Borussia Dortmund sporting director, Michael Zorc, said: “Alexander Isak is a hugely-talented striker, who many top clubs in Europe wanted to sign. We are delighted that he has chosen Borussia Dortmund. Both BVB and the player himself are convinced that this transfer has great potential.”
Isak and his advisers, who were in Dortmund on Sunday to conclude the deal, are also likely to have looked at the struggles of another Scandinavian prospect, Martin Odegaard, who has found it difficult at Real Madrid since joining the club as a 16-year-old in January 2015. The Norwegian has made one appearance for the club and joined Heerenveen in the Netherlands on loan this month.
Isak scored 10 league goals in 24 appearances for AIK during the 2016 Swedish season, including two in the derby against Djurgarden on this 17th birthday, and became Sweden’s youngest ever goalscorer when he found the net against Slovakia on 12 January, beating a 105-year-old record in the process.
He had become the second youngest player ever to represent his country four days previously when he made his debut against Ivory Coast and the Sweden national coach, Janne Andersson, said after the two games: “Isak is rewriting history and I am not surprised. I knew that he would do well. He is calm and incredibly stable. It’s been fun to get to know him.”