Manchester United and Chelsea are reportedly among only seven clubs who are able to trigger a 'special exit clause' in the contract of Borussia Dortmund striker Serhou Guirassy this summer.
The 29-year-old Guinea international was signed by Dortmund last summer for just €18m after they activated the release clause in his contract at fellow Bundesliga club Stuttgart.
Guirassy has since enjoyed a prolific debut campaign at Westfalenstadion, scoring 29 goals and registering eight assists in 41 appearances across all competitions.
Dortmund's No.9 is currently the top scorer in this season's Champions League with 13 goals in 14 appearances, most recently netting an impressive hat-trick in a 3-1 quarter-final second-leg win over Barcelona, albeit going out 5-3 on aggregate.
Guirassy has also found the net 16 times in 26 Bundesliga outings, but that has only been enough to fire Dortmund up to seventh in the table, four points behind the top four with just four games remaining.
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Which seven clubs can trigger Guirassy's special exit clause?
Should Dortmund fail to qualify for next season's Champions League, the future of a number of their key players is set to intensify, with Guirassy one of those who has unsurprisingly caught the attention of several top European clubs.
Guirassy is under contract at Westfalenstadion until June 2028, but Sky Deutschland reporter Patrick Berger claims that a 'select group' of European clubs will theoretically be able to trigger a special exit clause after the FIFA Club World Cup this summer.
Premier League quintet Man United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal, as well as La Liga giants Real Madrid and Barcelona, have all been presented with the option to activate the striker's release clause, which is believed to be valued at €70m (£60m).
The report adds that the addition of Arsenal to the list is a 'surprise' as Guirassy is said to have rejected the Gunners, as well as AC Milan and Atletico Madrid, before opting to join Dortmund last summer.
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Guirassy keen to stay at Dortmund despite interest from elsewhere
As things stand, Guirassy is not considering an exit from Dortmund, as he is said to feel at home in the German city and he 'greatly appreciates' that the club continue to believe in him despite previous knee problems.
Having said that, the prospect of playing in the Premier League or La Liga in the prime years of his career could appeal to Guirassy and some could argue that he may not get another opportunity to join an elite club.
Man United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal, in particular, are all believed to be prioritising the addition of at least one new centre-forward this summer and are likely to battle for similar targets including Guirassy.
The likes of Sporting Lisbon's Viktor Gyokeres, RB Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko, Napoli's Victor Osimhen - on loan at Galatasaray - and Lille's Jonathan David are among a host of other strikers who have been tipped to join one of the Premier League or La Liga giants this summer.
Oliver Thomas
