Dortmund Reportedly to Exercise Option to Make Paco Alcacer Loan Deal Permanent

Borussia Dortmund are reportedly poised to make the loan signing of Paco Alcacer from Barcelona a permanent transfer. 

According to Bild (h/t Football Espana), the Bundesliga side will pay €23 million (£20 million) after the Spain international moved to the Westfalenstadion on a temporary basis in the summer.

In addition, Football Espana also noted a report from AS that said BVB will definitely make this a permanent move following the 25-year-old's red-hot start to the 2018-19 campaign.

Football Espana added that any move would be a four-year deal and include an €8 million (£7 million) annual salary for the Spain forward, which would only put him behind Marco Reus and Mario Gotze in terms of earnings at the club.

While the former Valencia man struggled to make an impression in his two seasons at the Camp Nou, a change of environment and a different style of football appears to have brought the best out of him again.

As of yet, he's not played many minutes for Dortmund, although that's not stopped him being prolific in front of goal:

His start to the campaign also earned him a call up to the Spanish national side for recent fixtures, and in the 4-1 win over Wales in Cardiff on Thursday he continued his potent run, netting twice as La Roja mauled their opponents.

The goals were his first for the national team since he scored a brace against Luxembourg in 2015.

Speaking afterwards, Alcacer spoke about why he feels he is playing so well after leaving the Blaugrana, per Sport.

"Goals are [a] question of form, confidence and having minutes, and training as hard as possible when things aren't going well," he said. "What [Spain manager] Luis Enrique said was that who would come (to the national team squad) would be he who deserved it. To stay in the national team I have to maintain this dynamic."

Few would've anticipated Alcacer making such a sensational beginning to the campaign, though, and at the moment he is outshining Barcelona's current No. 9, Luis Suarez:

When Barcelona signed Alcacer it didn't appear a natural fit. The striker feeds off scraps in the box and is a fine finisher when things drop to him, but he's not a footballer who gets involved in the buildup play, meaning he was often on the periphery of matches in Blaugrana colours.

At Dortmund he appears poised to become a key man and a regular source of goals again. The fact BVB are seemingly set to make this transfer permanent so soon is testament to how impressed they've been with him so far this term.