BVB set sights on a second La Masia to grow homegrown stars

Borussia Dortmund has announced an ambitious plan to create a second ‘La Masia’, aiming to produce a steady stream of players who can graduate directly into the Schwarz‑Gelb first team without the need for expensive external signings.

Why the academy model matters

The club is already recognised for giving young professionals their first steps in senior football. Numerous youngsters have already moved to the Schwarz‑Gelb side, developed impressively and later generated substantial transfer fees for Dortmund.

Jude Bellingham remains the flagship example: he arrived at the BVB at just seventeen, became a key starter and, three years later, transferred to Real Madrid for more than €100 million after Dortmund initially paid roughly €30 million to secure him.

Building the future talent pipeline

According to Paul Schaffran, the NLZ‑head at the current vice‑champions, the club’s vision mirrors Barcelona’s famed La Masia. “We want a vision that puts as many players as possible at the top,” he said in a recent interview with the Ruhr Nachrichten.

Schaffran envisions a core eleven “made up of Dortmund boys”, though he stresses the plan does not require an entire starting line‑up to be home‑grown. “If, in the end, four are from our academy and three are sold to Manchester City or Real Madrid for €100 million, I’m not sad,” he added.

The ultimate goal, he explained, is to avoid future Bellingham‑type purchases by nurturing talent across multiple youth teams, creating a deep, versatile pool of players ready for senior football.

External transfers will remain an option, but only as a supplement to the club’s own development programme. The ambition is to become one of Europe’s leading talent factories within the next five to fifteen years, a target first set out a year ago and now reiterated with concrete steps.

Should the plan succeed, Dortmund hopes to generate both sporting success and financial sustainability, reducing reliance on large upfront fees while still capitalising on the occasional high‑value sale.