Nico Schlotterbeck
Nico Schlotterbeck
While the outside world thinks Borussia Dortmund should be panicking about Nico Schlotterbeck’s new release clause, the mood inside Dortmund is almost celebratory.
SportBILD report that despite Schlotterbeck’s new deal including a clause for the likes of Liverpool and Real Madrid, there’s no panic at the Bundesliga club.
Instead, Dortmund’s bosses believe that they might have pulled off one of their smartest pieces of transfer poker in recent years.
A transfer clause detailed
Reports yesterday explained that Nico Schlotterbeck is set to sign a new deal at Borussia Dortmund ahead of the summer.
But the excitement over that deal was slightly tempered by the fact that it contains a release clause, worth €50-60m, for a ‘tiny elite group. Liverpool and Real Madrid are a part of that. Reports have linked the Reds in recent months.
That means those clubs can still get the defender this summer. But Dortmund aren’t concerned. They’re instead focused on the fact that none of the clubs have moved for Schlotterbeck yet. They think that shows a general lack of interest.
Furthermore, they believe the price they would have gotten would have been slightly lower than the price now stipulated in the contract. In other words, they’ve ensured a better price for the 26-year-old.
Timing is crucial
The new release clause also includes a time lock. The clause expires sometime in July, around the time of the World Cup final.
Should one of the three clubs included in the clause, such as Liverpool, decide to trigger it, Dortmund still have ample time to find a replacement. In fact, they’d have around six weeks.
That’s important as they’d have a ‘respectable transfer budget’ at their disposal. There’s confidence that they would have plenty of wiggle room to replace Nico Schlotterbeck adequately.
They wanted to avoid the disaster from earlier this season when they lost Aaron Anselmino at the last minute in January. Chelsea called him back and they were left with just days to find a replacement. That won’t be the case with Schlotterbeck.
Dortmund are celebrating
Thus, Borussia Dortmund are celebrating. They still risk losing Nico Schlotterbeck to Liverpool, Real Madrid or the other unnamed side. But now they can do so on their own terms.
If the Reds, or anyone else, move for the defender, they feel in control of the situation. They think they’ve won this particular round of transfer poker, even if the centre-back leaves this summer.