"?Borussia Dortmund have seen their worst fears realised this summer following the exit of two of their longer-serving players, and the potential for more players to leave the club as the transfer window beckons.
Ilkay Gundogan ended a five-year stay at the Westfalenstadion to join new Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium, while Mats Hummels left Borussia Dortmund after seven years to join fierce title rivals and boyhood club Bayern Munich.
FULL STORY: Ilkay Gundogan is set to become Pep Guardiola's first Man City signing https://t.co/Gr4Inwkr0Y pic.twitter.com/vFwNOyFRq3
And with Henrikh Mkhitaryan turning down a contract this summer, forcing the club to cash in or risk losing him on a free at the end of next season, Dortmund could be losing three key players in one transfer window "? their leader at the back, the enforcer in midfield and the scorer & creator of chances.
Prolific striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is holding talks with Manchester City ahead of a summer move too, according to Sky Sports, so Dortmund have a mammoth task to stay competitive after being pillaged by a host of European sides.
BREAKING: Sky sources: Man City in advanced talks with Borussia Dortmund to sign Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. #SSNHQ https://t.co/7lej8iIPM1
It leaves manager Thomas Tuchel with a difficult task to replace such stellar talent given how influential the players were for Dortmund, let alone convincing new targets to turn down other European giants to join BVB, particularly having won no major silverware for four years.
Hummels won two league titles and reached the Champions League final under predecessor Jurgen Klopp, while Gundogan won one league crown as well as also having a Champions League runners-up medal to his name. Mkhitaryan was recently named Bundesliga Players' Player of the Season, while Aubameyang was Africa's Player of the Year, and scored 25 goals in 29 league games.
Feel sorry for Dortmund fans
Lewandoski
Gotze
Hummels
Gundogan
All gone, aubemayang and mkhitaryan next
Dortmund were only five points adrift in the title race in April, but crumbled at the death, and even lost the German Cup final to Bayern for their troubles too. Nevertheless, there was positivity in the camp that Tuchel could lead them to future glories with the crop of talent at his disposal. But is that still the case?
Being in the Champions League next season will mean Dortmund can still attract talented players to the Westfalenstadion, but could they be in for a difficult campaign given the players they've lost?
Replacing their long-serving centre-back, central midfielder and potentially a creative play-maker & striker is a task in itself, let alone getting their new arrivals to click from the off.
They have recently signed Barcelona defender Marc Bartra, Bayern midfielder Sebastian Rode, FC Nordsjaelland winger Emre Mor and Rennes striker Ousmane Dembele.
But this summer's Euro 2016 doesn't help Dortmund in the transfer market, as big-name players participating in the tournament won't be available for talks until mid-July, giving the interested clubs just a matter of weeks before the season starts.
As a result, it wouldn't be a big surprise to see Borussia Dortmund starting the 2016/17 slowly as Tuchel figures out his best side featuring new recruits. There was so much promise in the BVB camp after an impressive debut season, but Tuchel has a lot of work to do to ensure Dortmund don't decline.