Haller leaves Dortmund for Utrecht on permanent deal

Haller leaves Dortmund for Utrecht on permanent deal

The striker reportedly joined the Dutch club on a free transfer, having been allowed to end his Dortmund contract a year early.

Sebastian Haller’s €31 million move from Ajax in 2022 was overshadowed weeks later by a cancer diagnosis that kept him out six months. (EPA Images pic)
BERLIN:
Borussia Dortmund on Monday confirmed striker Sebastien Haller had joined Dutch side Utrecht on a permanent deal.

Haller reportedly joined on a free transfer, having been allowed to end his Dortmund contract a year early.

The 31-year-old Ivory Coast international spent the second half of last season on loan at Utrecht, the club he played for between 2015 and 2017.

“This summer there was quite a bit of interest from other clubs, but for me there was only one ideal scenario and that was FC Utrecht,” Haller said in a statement on the club’s website.

The departure ends a tumultuous time for Haller at Dortmund.

After arriving in a deal worth €31 million (US$36 million) from Ajax in 2022, Haller was diagnosed with testicular cancer weeks later and missed six months while undergoing treatment.

He missed a penalty on the final day of the 2022-23 season in a 2-2 home draw against Mainz which handed Bayern Munich the Bundesliga title.

The former West Ham and Eintracht Frankfurt forward scored the winning goal for Ivory Coast in last year’s Africa Cup of Nations final against Nigeria.

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