Borussia Dortmund have officially signed Greek international Konstantinos Karetsas from Belgian club KRC Genk, the German side announced on Monday. The 18-year-old forward has put pen to paper on a contract running until June 30, 2031.
Genk will receive around 35 million euros for the player, plus a resale percentage, according to the announcement. Dortmund confirmed the deal shortly after 1:30 p.m. Greek time on Monday, August 3, following a teaser video the club had posted earlier in the day showing Karetsas at a gyros shop.
In a follow-up video, Karetsas is shown entering the gyros shop and asking, in Greek, for the shirt bearing his new squad number, 19. Dortmund posted the clip with the caption "Einmal die 19, bitte!" on its official account.
Dortmund's statement said the club had acquired Greek international Konstantinos Karetsas, with the 18-year-old forward signing a five-year contract with BVB running through June 30, 2031.
Karetsas said Borussia Dortmund was a special club and that he felt incredibly proud to now wear the yellow and black jersey. He said he was looking forward to meeting his teammates and playing soon in front of the club's supporters in what he called an impressive stadium, adding that he wanted to help the team achieve success together.
Why Karetsas chose Dortmund
In his first interview for Dortmund, Karetsas explained that the club had always been one of his favorites, calling that the most important reason for the move. He said he believed the club's development was strong, pointing to examples of players who had joined and made a major leap in their careers, and said he expected to develop well and learn a lot at Dortmund.
Asked what he knew about the club, the city and the stadium, Karetsas said Dortmund had the best fans, describing them as the craziest in a good sense. He said he had never played in front of 80,000 people before and found the prospect exciting. He also described Dortmund's people as hardworking and smart, comparing them to people from his hometown of Genk.
Karetsas said he had spoken beforehand with friends who play in the Bundesliga to ask about the league, and that many people in football already knew Dortmund as a club. He said everyone he asked was positive about the move and considered it a good step for him, which reinforced his decision.
Playing style and goals
Asked how he would describe his style of play to Dortmund fans who may not know him well, Karetsas called himself a creative player who always works hard and tries to help the team.
On his goals at Dortmund, Karetsas said he wanted to develop as much as possible, take the next step in his career, score more goals and contribute to the team. He said the team's goal was to win titles, and not just one, describing that as his plan alongside helping the team as much as he can.
Ricken praises the signing
Dortmund's post also carried comments from Lars Ricken on the signing. Ricken said that with Kos, meaning Karetsas, Dortmund was gaining a player who already possessed enormous ability at just 18 years old, and that the club was glad to have persuaded him to join its project.
From Genk's academy to Greece's youngest scorer
Dortmund's club profile of Karetsas noted that despite being only 18, he already boasts more than 70 appearances in Belgium's top flight and ten caps for Greece's senior national team.
Karetsas was born to Greek parents in Genk, Belgium. At age eight he joined KRC Genk's youth academy, where he completed his development apart from a brief spell at Anderlecht.
He was regarded as an outstanding talent from an early age and made his debut in Belgium's second division in August 2023 at 15. The same season, he made his first-team debut for KRC Genk in the Jupiler Pro League.
Under German coach Thorsten Fink, who was born in Dortmund, Karetsas quickly developed into a key player during the 2024/25 season. Fink recently described him as a technically excellent player with good dribbling who can deliver the final pass, adding that Karetsas is still a genuine number 10 in the traditional sense.
Karetsas is most comfortable as an attacking midfielder but has also played on the right wing. Standing 1.73 meters tall, his greatest strengths lie in one-on-one duels, dribbling in tight spaces and his distinctive passes to teammates, reflected in the 15 assists he registered last season.
He also stands out for his composure on the ball and his reading of the game, qualities that made him one of the most consistent midfielders in the Belgian league. Although eligible to play for Belgium, Karetsas chose to represent his parents' home country and established himself in the Greek national team last year. He has ten caps for Greece and has scored three goals.
Karetsas made history for Greece in March 2025, scoring his first international goal in a 3-0 win over Scotland in Glasgow in the UEFA Nations League. The goal made him Greece's youngest ever scorer, at 17 years, four months and four days old.
Karetsas will wear number 19 for Dortmund, a number previously worn at the club by players including Kevin Großkreutz and Julian Brandt.
