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Liverpool have emerged as serious contenders for Borussia Dortmund defender Nico Schlotterbeck, with the German international looking like he could depart the Bundesliga club in the coming transfer windows.
DaveOCKOP already exclusively revealed that Liverpool has a serious interest in Schlotterbeck.
The 25-year-old has reportedly been unhappy with the situation at Dortmund, particularly regarding Dortmund’s style of play and recently publicly lamented that his side needs to “play more football”.
Reports in Germany claim that contract renewal talks have stalled, with Schlotterbeck refusing to commit to an extension beyond his current deal that expires in 2027.
Dortmund have offered improved terms worth approximately €8m per year until 2030, but the defender appears unconvinced about the club’s ambitions.
The prospect of consistently winning titles at Dortmund looks bleak, which is being touted as a motivator for the German international to leave Signal Iduna Park.
But following Dortmund’s comfortable 4-0 win over Villareal in the Champions League on Tuesday night, sporting director Sebastian Kehl was quizzed on the Schlotterbeck speculation in the mixed zone, with Get German Football News capturing his comments.
The chief has denied reports that talks are stalling:
“Everything’s okay. There’s no problems. The negotiations are not stalling. There’s been a bunch of false interpretations,” Kehl asserted.
“It’s great that we’re always generating stories to keep you guys busy,” Kehl said in reference to the recent reports.
“I already answered questions about this before the game. It’s not been so long since we talked about this.”
“We are trying to create and deliver conditions that offer Schlotti an attractive environment.”
“Ultimately, he wants to be successful and compete for titles, which is what we all want. We also want to meet his financial expectations.”
The Dortmund chief added that the club “means a lot” to Schlotterbeck.
“We hope that he’ll make a positive decision [from our perspective],” Kehl explained. “If not, we’ll prepare ourselves accordingly. I remain optimistic because this club means a lot to him.”
Liverpool talks are at an early stage with the club weighing up numerous players who could fit as a new centre back at Anfield.
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