Dembele was being chased by a number of Europe’s top clubs after bursting onto the scene at Rennes.
BERLIN, Germany, May 20 – Ousmane Dembele has revealed Borussia Dortmund boss Thomas Tuchel and new team-mate Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang played a major role in his decision to join the German outfit.
The Rennes attacking midfielder had been attracting interest from a host of Europe’s top sides, including Manchester United, Arsenal and Barcelona, but decided to put pen to paper on a five-year deal with Dortmund.
Dembele will team up with his new colleagues from July 1 but he was unveiled as a Dortmund player on Wednesday.
The 19-year-old, who will wear the No 7 shirt at Westfalenstadion, said: ‘The coach [Thomas Tuchel) and the officials called me and told me they wanted to sign me so I decided to play for Borussia Dortmund. The coach was very important for me because I like what he has planned for the team and I like that this includes young players.
‘And he told me that if I work hard, I’ll play. He was very convincing and contributed to my decision. I talked to [Pierre-Emerick] Aubameyang on the phone. He told me that BVB is a great club.
‘And then I came here and saw the club’s great infrastructure for myself. The overall conditions are amazing, that’s why I decided to play here.
‘It’s incredible to have 80,000 people watching you in the stadium. For me it’s amazing and impressive, and it was another reason for me to play for this great club and fans. Most importantly I want to integrate into the team and to play as many matches as possible. These are my main goals.’
Dembele burst onto the scene in November when he was promoted to Rennes’ first team.
The Frenchman scored 12 league goals in 26 games during his debut campaign before eventually deciding to ply his trade in Germany next season.
