Borussia Dortmund and Germany midfielder Julian Weigl will join Portuguese champions Benfica in the January transfer window, the Bundesliga club said on Tuesday.

In an official statement, Dortmund confirmed Weigl, 24, had put in a transfer request amid interest from the Lisbon club. "Julian came to us with this request and we granted it, partly because of all he has done for the club," said sporting director Michael Zorc. The transfer is still subject to a medical check, and the fee remains undisclosed.

According to Bild newspaper, Benfica could pay around 20 million euros ($22.5m) for the former Germany youth international.

The defensive midfielder, who doubles up as a centre-back, shot to fame after joining Dortmund from 1860 Munich as a teenager in 2015. He quickly established himself as a first-team regular under then coach Thomas Tuchel, and made five appearances for Germany in 2016 and 2017.