The Belgian winger has failed to deliver in a Borussia Dortmund shirt since his move from Belgian outfit Anderlecht in 2023. And it now appears he is heading for the exit, but not to the French club you may have expected.

A couple of weeks ago, it was reported that Julien Duranville was being offered to many clubs, one of them being French side Strasbourg. They had him on a shortlist of options that they were looking at, but all signs pointed to a possibility that there was a deal to be done there, and if Julien Duranville was to move to France, it would be to Strasbourg.

However, recent reports have confirmed that Julien Duranville is set to sign for Ligue 1 giants Olympique Lyonnais. As reported by Patrick Berger (SkySportsDE), Julien Duranville has agreed personal terms with Lyon, with club-to-club talks ongoing and progressing well. 

The fee being discussed is seemingly around the €8.5 million number, meaning that Borussia Dortmund would make back its initial investment in Julien Duranville back in 2023, but with add-ons, Borussia Dortmund won't make back the total €13 million that it has cost them for Julien Duranville.  

And it may be because of this that the German club are pushing for a sizable sell-on clause to be included in the deal. Alternatively, they are open to a buy-back clause as well, but it seems more likely that the sell-on clause will be included, and a percentage is yet to be agreed on. 

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When Borussia Dortmund made the signing of Julien Duranville, it was seen as a good deal for the club. While yes, he was relatively unproven at the senior level at the time, it was clear there was potential, and it was thought that even if the move didn't fully work out, Borussia Dortmund could still make back the money they spent, or even make a profit. 

The issue has been, however bad Borussia Dortmund thought this move could go in the worst-case scenario; it has gone even worse. Now, not all of it is Borussia Dortmund's doing. 

While Julien Duranville's minutes have been limited, partly due to managers not particularly trusting him enough to give him a consistent run of games, but also due to a high number of medium to long-term injuries that repeatedly put the handbrake on the Belgian's development. The 20-year-old has missed a total of 77 games for club and country since the start of the 2023/24 season, which is a significant number of games over a relatively short space of time. 

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It is for these reasons that I firmly believe that this move is one that is best for all involved. Julien Duranville needs a fresh start at a new permanent club, following an unsuccessful loan spell at Basel in the 2nd half of the campaign just gone. 

However, one success that Duranville will take is that, despite the performances not being brilliant, he did manage to stay fit and available for his loan spell in Switzerland. 

And for Borussia Dortmund, the move has not worked out for them, and if they can get a large portion of the fee they paid back for the winger, plus some form of sell-on clause, it would certainly soften the loss that the club have clearly taken with Julien Durnaville overall.