Monaco, Aug 16 : AS Monaco have announced the arrival of German striker Paris Brunner from Borussia Dortmund. The young talent has signed a 4-year contract, until June 2028. Following his move to France, the 18-year-old striker will join Cercle Bruges on loan for the 2024/2025 season.

Born in 2006, Paris Brunner learned his trade at the academies of Rot-Weiss Essen and VfL Bochum before completing his training at Borussia Dortmund.

Paris Brunner quickly made his mark in the U17 Bundesliga, scoring 16 goals in just five league appearances. He was naturally upgraded to the U19s at the age of 16 and proved just as decisive, as evidenced by his 21 goals and 8 assists in 25 games last season.

Brunner came to Borussia Dortmund from the youth team of VfL Bochum in 2020 and was already used in the U19 team at the age of 15. Last May, he reached the final of the German A-Junior Championship with the U19 team. In total, the German U17 world and European champion made 38 appearances for BVB's U19 team in the A-Junior Bundesliga West (24 goals, ten assists).

He also played 14 Youth League games for BVB (five goals, one assist). Brunner played twice for the U23 team in the 3rd division and was also a member of the professional squad in the Bundesliga once.

"We would have liked to tie Paris to Borussia Dortmund in the long term, but unfortunately he did not want to go down the path we showed him. We thank Paris for his time at BVB and of course wish him all the best for his future," said BVB Sporting director Sebastian Kehl to Dortmund's media team.

/IANS