If Liverpool are serious about signing Borussia Dortmund star Nico Schlotterbeck, every hour matters.
The German centre-back has long been admired at Anfield, but a deal to bring him to the Premier League hasn’t materialised. Fabrizio Romano says Liverpool haven’t approached Schlotterbeck yet, but there’s still time to manoeuvre for one of the top defenders in Europe.
Not much time, though. Schlotterbeck is close to signing a new contract at his current club. There is a chance, though, that Liverpool can save this deal from the brink of collapse after a Dortmund development stalled talks.
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Nico Schlotterbeck could still move despite agreeing terms with Borussia Dortmund
It’s a unique situation with the 26-year-old, who agreed to an extension last week. The deal would have made him one of the highest earners at the club, and would have kept him at the club until 2031
Florian Plettenberg revealed that everything was ironed out with Schlotterbeck’s management and that all that was left was for the player to sign on the dotted line.
That was four days ago. The big change at the club has been that Sebastian Kehl has been let go after four years as sporting director.
Yesterday, Plettenberg took to X once again to update us on the status of the talks. He reports: “The figures are agreed and won’t change significantly. However, Nico Schlotterbeck’s final approval is still missing.”
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Schlotterbeck himself claimed that an agreement is not close, but he is discussing the extension with new sporting director Ole Book.
Something feels off here. The figures were all agreed and the deal was all but complete, yet, now the player is saying nothing is close to done.
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Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes watching on during the Reds' Premier League match against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge (Credit: Getty Images/Robin Jones).
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This opens the door for Liverpool, who can still sway this saga. Schlotterbeck has a release clause of about £43 million, which is still in place. Real Madrid have also been credited with serious interest.
This transfer link looked dead in the water last week, but the fact that there has been a stall suggests something is not sitting quite right with Schlotterbeck, possibly the direction Dortmund are going in. He had a good rapport with the old director.
If the Reds can sit down with the German star and pitch a project that inspires more confidence than that of his current club — who are in a state of flux right now — there is still time to convince him on an Anfield move before he commits his future to Dortmund.
Talks should start as soon as possible, if they haven’t already.
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