Borussia Dortmund striker Sebastien Haller diagnosed with testicular tumor

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Borussia Dortmund's new Ivory Coast signing Sebastien Haller has left the team's Swiss summer training camp to undergo further medical examinations after being diagnosed with a testicular tumor, the club confirmed on Monday evening.

The 28-year-old striker had complained about feeling unwell after training on Monday morning, after which extensive tests revealed a testicular tumor.

"The news today was a shock for Sebastien and for all of us," commented sporting director Sebastian Kehl. "The entire BVB family wishes Sebastien a full and speedy recovery so that we can soon welcome him back into our arms."

Club chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke said: "We are all in a state of shock. Our thoughts are with Sebastien and his family. The most important thing now is that he gets healthy again."

Kehl added that the club "will do everything in our power to ensure that [Haller] receives the best possible treatment," as the player returned to Dortmund to undergo "further examination in a specialist medical center."

Haller's teammates and colleagues were informed of the diagnosis on Monday evening after the team's 3-1 win in a friendly match against Spanish side Valencia in nearby Altach, Austria.

Responding to questions about Haller's absence, head coach Edin Terzic had said: "Sebastien didn't feel well when he woke up this morning. He still trained but then the symptoms worsened."

Back in the Bundesliga

Haller signed for Dortmund from Dutch side Ajax this summer in a deal worth over €30m ($30.7m), a transfer intended to help compensate for the loss of star striker Erling Haaland, who has joined Manchester City.

But, only last Sunday, Haller had insisted to reporters: "I'm not here as anyone's successor, I'm here because the club needs my qualities."

Dortmund captain Marco Reus said: "He's not quite as fast as Erling [Haaland] but he's a giant striker, so we've not lost any of our weapons."

Between 2017 and 2019, Haller scored 33 goals in 77 games for Eintracht Frankfurt as part of the club's so-called Buffalo Herd along with Ante Rebic and Luca Jovic, as the Eagles won the German Cup and reached the semifinal of the Europa League.

Haller's performances earned him a big-money move to Premier League side West Ham United but he failed to replicate his form, instead moving on to the Netherlands where 47 goals in 65 appearances for Ajax caught the eye of Borussia Dortmund, who brought him back to the Bundesliga.

His testicular tumor isn't the first such diagnosis in the Bundesliga in recent years. Only last week, Hertha Berlin revealed that German forward Marco Richter, 24, would not be taking part in pre-season training due to an operation to remove a tumor.

Across the capital, Union Berlin's Timo Baumgartl had an operation on a testicular tumor in May. The player has said he has undergone chemotherapy and is feeling ok, although he has lost his hair.

Edited by: Kalika Mehta.

Source: DW