Werder Bremen are set to lose one of their most highly rated young defenders, with head coach Daniel Thioune confirming that centre-back Karim Coulibaly will leave the club for Racing Strasbourg.
"Karim Coulibaly will leave us," Thioune told reporters at Thursday's press conference, ending months of speculation over the 19-year-old's future at the Weserstadion.
The move to Ligue 1 is set to bring in a fee of €20m, with Werder having accepted Strasbourg's third offer for the player after twice rejecting lower bids from the French club. The two sides have also agreed a 10 percent sell-on clause, giving Werder a further stake in Coulibaly's development should he move on again in the future.
Coulibaly joined Werder's academy on a free transfer from Hamburger SV in 2024 and made a rapid breakthrough into the first team last season, quickly establishing himself as one of the most promising young centre-backs in the Bundesliga.
That breakthrough is what has driven Strasbourg's interest and the size of the fee involved, with the Ligue 1 club's connections to the Chelsea-owned BlueCo group having previously been reported as a factor in negotiations.
The transfer represents a significant piece of business for Werder Bremen, whose sporting plans this summer have also included incoming deals for Eren Dinkci and Niclas Füllkrug.
Losing Coulibaly leaves a gap at centre-back for Thioune to address before the window closes, but the fee involved should give the club room to strengthen elsewhere as they continue reshaping the squad around their new arrivals.
Coulibaly's exit also continues a run of lucrative sales for Werder in recent years, as the club has increasingly leaned on developing and moving on young talent to fund its rebuilding project.
The defender is expected to travel to France in the coming days to complete a medical and finalise the remaining details of the switch before he is officially unveiled by his new club, with the deal ranking as the second-highest transfer fee received in Werder's history.