Aaron Anselmino's hot form has Borussia Dortmund considering a permanent move

By SABC Sport
2nd December 2025

Twenty-year-old Argentine defender Aaron Anselmino is rapidly establishing himself as a vital part of Borussia Dortmund's rearguard, and the club now look poised to dial up Chelsea to try to keep him beyond his loan spell.

Despite suffering a muscular injury in August that kept him sidelined for a few weeks, Anselmino has since made several Bundesliga appearances. In doing so he has helped Dortmund maintain one of the meanest defences in the top-flight, conceding among the fewest goals in the league.

The youngster has also begun to offer something going forward. He laid on an assist for Serhou Guirassy in a 4-0 win over Villarreal CF in the UEFA Champions League, before powering in his first Bundesliga goal days later, a header that opened the scoring in a hard-fought 2-1 win at rivals Bayer Leverkusen this past Saturday.

After the Leverkusen match, sporting director Sebastian Kehl admitted that Dortmund intend to open talks with Chelsea soon. "We have a very good connection to Chelsea. I will definitely have to pick up the phone in the next few days and give them a call," he said.

Meanwhile, head coach Niko Kovac has hailed the loanee's attitude and defensive instinct. "He fights with crusader spirit. When things get tight, there's no nonsense with him. He breaks through. And that's something you need at this level.

"You need defenders who love defending. The boy does that excellently. I love players like that, who do their job with dedication and passion," Kova said.

With performances like these, Anselmino is fast becoming more than a temporary fix, and Dortmund appear intent on turning a loan success story into a permanent one.