Although his destination is not yet certain, one thing is for sure: Ilkay Gundogan's future is not at the Signal Iduna Park.Future Borussia Dortmund head coach Thomas Tuchel and sporting director Michael Zorc will have the tough task of finding a replacement for the 24-year-old midfielder.
Gundogan has been the controller of Dortmund's midfield for the past few years. According to Squawka.com, the Germany international has a team-leading 86 percent pass accuracy so far in the 2014-15 Bundesliga.
He dished out 1,251 successful passes in 22 games. The second-best result for Dortmund was Neven Subotic's 1,239 passes in 27 games.
Finding an equally skilled replacement is a borderline impossible task for Dortmund, considering they will not be playing in the Champions League next season.
Still, Dortmund might be able to hold on to Gundogan for at least until January.
According to a recent report from Spanish newspaper El Mundo Deportivo (h/t James Cambridge of the Express), Gundogan has already passed a medical with Barcelona.
Barcelona's idea is to have the German midfielder fill in the void left by Xavi, who will be leaving the Camp Nou this summer.
Nevertheless, the transfer would not go through until 2016, since Barcelona is still under FIFA sanctions due to irregularities in earlier transfers.
This delayed transfer would give Zorc some extra time to find a replacement.
Here are a few prospects who could eventually fill the void for Dortmund in case the transfer to Barcelona happens.
1. Youri Tielemans, Anderlecht
At 18 years of age, Youri Tielemans has already spurred the interest of European giants like Arsenal and Chelsea, as noted by Ben Jefferson in the Express. And now, Dortmund could have their sights on the Belgium youngster as well.
The Dortmund board is no stranger to Tielemans, as the Anderlecht man got to play against the German side twice during the 2014-15 Champions League group stage.
Tielemans still has much to improve in his game. Nonetheless, the skill is there, and a whole season—or even half—playing behind Gundogan could do wonders for him.
The Belgium standout is a player who manages to keep his calm with the ball, even when pressured in his own half of the field. Tielemans also has the footwork and dribbling skills to get himself away from trouble when there are no nearby teammates to help out.
Playing for Anderlecht, he has shown amazing passing range and vision. Being able to turn defense into offense quickly and having speedsters like Shinji Kagawa and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang running after his long passes could make Tielemans a very successful player at the Signal Iduna Park.
Tielemans recently renewed his contract with Anderlecht, so in order to sign him, Dortmund would likely have to make a substantial offer for Anderlecht to consider parting ways with Tielemans.
2. Moritz Leitner, VFB Stuttgart
Zorc might not need to look too far to find a high-level replacement.
Twenty-two-year-old Moritz Leitner has been on loan from Dortmund at VFB Stuttgart since July 2013. It's an arrangement that will end this summer, so Leitner is set to return to the Signal Iduna Park.
During his span at Stuttgart, Leitner acquired some valuable experience and had several good showings for the club.
He currently has an 80 percent passing accuracy rate in the Bundesliga, according to Squawka.
The German midfielder made 15 key passes and an assist in the 19 matches he played, while he also notched a goal.
Leitner had slightly better numbers during his first season at Stuttgart. In 2013-14, Leitner started 17 games in the Bundesliga, as opposed to 13 starts in 2014-15. He also had one more assist during the first season.
While his club performances were not spectacular, Leitner did play a key role for the Germany U21 national team in 2014-15.
He was called up eight times during the season and started in seven of those opportunities. Leitner scored a pair of goals and dished out an assist.
His most crucial score was a late equalizing goal against Italy on March 27.
Now on his way back to Dortmund, Leitner will have the opportunity to prove he still has the potential that encouraged Transfermarkt to set his value at €5 million in 2013.
3. Gonzalo Castro, Bayer 04 Leverkusen
Gonzalo Castro is a player who would hit the ground running if he landed in Dortmund this summer.The 27-year-old has two goals and seven assists in the Bundesliga this season. He is an experienced player with five caps under his belt for Germany.
According to a report from ESPN's Stephan Uersfeld, Zorc is set to buy Castro from Leverkusen. The club's sporting executive, Rudi Voller, told reporters that his team expects Dortmund to trigger Castro's €11 million release clause.
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