Marc Bartra leaves Borussia Dortmund to join Real Betis

Borussia Dortmund said it made a big concession on the transfer fee to allow Bartra return to Spain after what has been a tumultuous spell in the Bundesliga.

Marc Bartra won the German Cup with Dortmund last year, seven days after coming back from the injuries sustained the bomb attack. (Source: Reuters)

Spanish defender Marc Bartra is leaving Borussia Dortmund to join Real Betis. Dortmund said it made a “big concession” on the transfer fee to allow Bartra return to Spain after what has been a tumultuous spell in the Bundesliga.

Bartra was injured in the bomb attack on Dortmund’s team bus before a Champions League game last April. The 27-year-old Spaniard was hit with shrapnel after the blasts shattered a window. He was out for about a month after undergoing surgery on a broken bone in his wrist.

On Monday, Bartra testified at the trial of the man accused of the attack, saying he had feared for his life.

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Bartra played 49 competitive games for Dortmund after joining from Barcelona in 2016. While he has played in 12 Bundesliga games this season, Dortmund’s signing of Swiss defender Manuel Akanji from FC Basel increased the competition for a starting place.

“I can hardly put in words the moments and feelings that I had in the last one and a half years,” Bartra said. “I never thought it possible to receive so much love and support from one of the best football families in the word.”

Bartra won the German Cup with Dortmund last year, seven days after coming back from the injuries sustained the bomb attack.