BERLIN, Germany, May 22 – German champions Borussia Dortmund’s highly-rated Japanese midfielder Shinji Kagawa will cost prospective buyers around 20 million euros, the club’s owner revealed on Monday.
Hans-Joachim Watzke told Sport Bild that the club would not be fooled into selling him for a derisory price even though the 23-year-old has just a year remaining on his contract.
“We all know the abilities of Shinji, his youth and the value he adds to this side,” said Watzke, whose team not only successfully defended their title this season but also hammered rivals Bayern Munich 5-2 in the German Cup final.
“I also note what Bayern Munich paid for goalkeeper Manuel Neuer (22 million euros from Schalke last year). He also only had a year left on his contract. Given those facts we can certainly expect a princely sum for him.”
According to media reports, English Premier League runners-up Manchester United bid only 6 million euros for Kagawa, who cost Dortmund just 350,000 euros when they bought him from J-League side Cerezo Osaka in the summer of 2010.