Image Credits: Imago Images
The events of the last week could massively head in Liverpool’s favour as summer approaches.
Liverpool find themselves in somewhat of a dilemma as the summer transfer window approaches.
Ibrahima Konate, who is set to become a free agent in the summer had a shaky start to the campaign, with many fans feeling as if the blow wouldn’t be felt if the Frenchman was to depart.
Since the turn of the year, the defender has turned it around massively, working his way back into fans’ hearts, with the club now determined to keep pushing the player to sign a contract extension with the club.
Amidst this uncertainty however, Liverpool are still keeping tabs on the market for any potential defensive additions.
DaveOCKOP exclusively revealed as far back as October that Liverpool had made contact with BVB defender Nico Shlotterbeck’s camp to explore the future possibility of a deal being struck.
The German international is undecided on whether to extend his stay at Borussia Dortmund or not, despite being offered a new deal on double his current salary, the player appears unwilling to extend his stay at the club.
Now, there has been a development as Borussia Dortmund’s shock exit at the hands of Atalanta in the Champions League this week has boosted the chance of the defender deciding to leave this summer.
It increases the possibility that BVB will look to cash in this summer, rather than lose a player of Schlotterbeck’s quality for nothing.
According to AS that defeat “has left consequences beyond the sporting. In Germany, they interpret the knockout as a new blow to the credibility of BVB’s project, which already fell early on in the Pokal and has been left behind in the Bundesliga.”
In this context, the situation of Shlotterbeck, who is of interest to Real Madrid and Liverpool becomes more relevant.
Schlotterbeck has become increasingly frustrated with the sporting project and that could suffer another blow to the club in their attempts to tie him down to a new contract.
It has been reported by BILD that Real Madrid is the defender’s preferred destination but Liverpool remain firmly in the race.
If Liverpool were to push for a transfer, AS report Nico Shlotterbeck’s price tag to be in the region of 50million euros, a price tag that would have been higher if the defender wasn’t out of contract in the summer of 2027.
It remains to be seen whether Schlotterbeck does end up deciding to stay at Borussia Dortmund but their early exit in the Champions League, as well as falling behind in Bundesliga, will have severely damaged their efforts to keep their star defender.
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