Dortmund on verge of signing Cologne F Modeste

DORTMUND, Germany (AP) — Borussia Dortmund is set to sign French forward Anthony Modeste from Bundesliga rival Cologne.

Cologne said Sunday that it had received an offer for the 34-year-old Modeste and agreed on a transfer. No financial details have been announced yet.

“At Tony Modeste’s request, we reached a verbal agreement in principle with Dortmund this afternoon about his move to Dortmund. The transfer should be confirmed after the medical check set for tomorrow,” Cologne sporting director Christian Keller said.

Modeste was left out of Cologne’s squad to play promoted Schalke on Sunday.

“That’s why we decided together that Tony won’t be in the squad today, even though Tony gave a clear signal that he wanted to play. The focus should be on today’s game against Schalke and not on a personal issue,” Keller said.

Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl had said Saturday that the club was looking for a new forward to replace Sebastién Haller, who needs chemotherapy for a testicular tumor. Kehl said talks with an unnamed candidate were at an advanced stage and “I think we’ll be able to see a little more clearly in the coming days.”

But Cologne coach Steffen Baumgart has not welcomed the loss of a forward who has scored 83 goals in 190 Bundesliga games. Modeste scored 20 goals in 32 league appearances for Baumgart’s team last season.

“Unfortunately it’s part of our job that there are always other clubs that can pay more, that are bigger than us,” Baumgart said before Cologne’s game with Schalke. “Everyone can understand this is borderline and questionable for us in terms of timing. And it’s also unfortunate that it’s coming out today.”

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