Liverpool are one of the teams to be linked with an interest in the Borussia Dortmund centre-back ahead of the summer transfer window.
Nico Schlotterbeck following the Bundesliga match between VfL Wolfsburg and Borussia Dortmund at Volkswagen Arena.
Liverpool are one of the teams to be linked with a transfer interest in Borussia Dortmund's Nico Schlotterbeck.(Image: Alexandre Simoes/Borussia Dortmund via Getty Images)
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Borussia Dortmund have been told to do everything that they can to keep hold of Liverpool-linked Nico Schlotterbeck this summer. The centre-back is a player who continues to be linked with a move to Anfield.
Schlotterbeck has been a key player for Dortmund since joining from SC Freiburg in 2022. He has made 26 appearances in all competitions this season, scoring three times, with only injury preventing him from making more.
Going into the summer transfer window, the 26-year-old will have just one year remaining on his current contract with Dortmund. The Bundesliga club will therefore have to decide on his future should Liverpool, or any other club, make an offer.
His contract situation means clubs could potentially get him at a reduced price, unless Dortmund persuade the player to put pen to paper on a new deal. If not, they risk losing him for nothing 12 months later,
Speaking to Wettbasis, former Dortmund player Antonio da Silva has told the club the importance of fighting to keep the defender: "You always need a player like that in your team. For me, he's one of the key players, not just this year, but for years," he said.
"He's becoming more and more consistent, he's getting better and better. Of course, it's difficult to keep a player like that because he's truly an outstanding player and a national team player.
Nico Schlotterbeck during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Knockout Play-off Second Leg match between Atalanta BC and Borussia Dortmund.
Nico Schlotterbeck has been linked with a move to Liverpool.(Image: Icon Sport via Getty Images)
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"We know perfectly well that when a contract expires and you hear that all of Europe, or almost the whole world, is after a player, then it's naturally difficult to keep him. But you should still do everything you can to keep a player like that, to build the next season around players like him, and to shape the squad with him. These are the players you simply shouldn't let go.
"Dortmund certainly has plenty of arguments. I mean, when I see that the lad has been with BVB for several years – I don't know exactly how many years – it's a club, a team, where he's found his niche and where his sporting career has reached its highest level. But he's still a young player, and that's why the arguments will most likely revolve around financial considerations.
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"You really have to try to give a player like that not just financial security, but also the surrounding environment, the security he needs. Playing internationally and wanting to win titles is, of course, every player's goal.
"That's why you should try to keep him."
Arne Slot is likely to be on the lookout for defensive reinforcements when the window opens at the end of the season. At times this season, the club have had a somewhat of an injury crisis in the position, following their failed late move for Marc Guehi last summer.