Is it also because of the departures of Julian Brandt and Niklas Süle? Nico Schlotterbeck seems to be leaning towards staying at BVB

Although no breakthrough has been achieved as a result, the 23-time Germany international is now more inclined to extend his contract after all. 

The reasons for this are, firstly, that BVB has sent out an important signal by extending Felix Nmecha’s contract. Furthermore, Schlotterbeck has reportedly taken a positive view of the fact that the departures of Julian Brandt, Niklas Süle and Salih Özcan have finally forced a shake-up, and that wing play is set to play a greater role again in future.

Should Borussia succeed in extending his contract, which runs until 2027, BVB would continue to have at their disposal an undisputed leader, a role model and a mentor under whose guidance talents such as Luca Reggiani can develop. Furthermore, the 26-year-old left-footed player would rise to become one of the club’s top earners.

There is talk of at least doubling his current annual salary of a reported five to six million euros. A figure that keeps cropping up is 14 million euros. Furthermore, the defensive leader could be granted a release clause that would allow him to leave the club for 60 million euros from the summer of 2027 onwards – provided he extends his contract first. 

In recent months, Schlotterbeck has been linked with all manner of top clubs, though no concrete talks have been reported. Among others, FC Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Liverpool have been rumoured to be interested.