Immobile ready for Dortmund move

21 May 2014 13:46

Torino striker Ciro Immobile nudged forward his mooted move to Borussia Dortmund when he said he would make sure his tough Neapolitan accent would be understood by his future teammates at the Bundesliga club.

Immobile is one of seven strikers at Italy's 10-day training camp for the World Cup looking to join the five that will be part of Cesare Prandelli's final 23-man squad for Brazil.

His chances have been boosted significantly by topping the Serie A scoring charts on 22 goals ahead of Luca Toni (20) and Carlos Tevez (19) - an achievement which alerted several clubs to Immobile's potential, with Dortmund his preferred destination according to recent reports.

Speaking Wednesday at Italy's pre-World Cup training camp, Immobile said: "After a season like I've just had it's only normal to harbour bigger ambitious and to try to take your game to another level.

"I would love to play in the Champions League next season, it would be huge for my game."

Immobile quipped the only obstacle standing in the way of a move to Germany would be the language barrier.

"I've spoken to a lot of co-players with experience of the Bundesliga. Plus the German league has improved a lot," added the 24-year-old.

"The only problem remains the language (barrier), but we Neapolitans know how to make most people understand us!"

Dortmund striker Robert Lewandowski has already agreed to join Bayern Munich for next season although having finished runner-up in the league Dortmund, who were Champions League runners-up in 2013, are set for a fresh assault on the competition.

The German club's chief executive officer, Hans-Joachim Watzke, tried to play down reports the clubs had agreed a deal last week but admitted: "I can only confirm that the player Immobile really wants to join us."

Source: AFP