BVB faces a major dilemma: Nico Schlotterbeck is reportedly the subject of a concrete transfer enquiry

During an appearance in the mixed zone following the German national team’s friendly against Ghana on Monday, Schlotterbeck dismissed reports of an imminent contract extension at BVB as pure fiction – and he did so in no uncertain terms.

Bild and Sky had previously claimed that Schlotterbeck would extend his contract, which runs until 2027, upon his return from the DFB squad, stating that everything had been settled apart from the final details. “Unfortunately, we’re not that far along. I negotiated at length with Sebastian (Kehl, ed.), who is no longer there,” said Schlotterbeck.

According to Sky, a meeting is said to have taken place on Wednesday with Kehl’s successor, Ole Book, during which Schlotterbeck reportedly sought to improve the terms negotiated with Kehl in his favour. Accordingly, the centre-back is said to have wanted to renegotiate his salary and, in particular, his release clause.

It is reported that BVB have offered Schlotterbeck an annual salary of €14 million and guaranteed him a release clause of €60 million. Schlotterbeck is now said to be seeking to ensure that the clause can be activated as early as this summer.

Should the two sides now harden their positions over these issues, BVB faces a potential nightmare scenario in the Schlotterbeck case. If the 26-year-old were to decide against extending his contract, BVB would be spoilt for choice. 

Either lose Schlotterbeck on a free transfer in the summer of 2027, or let the defensive stalwart leave this coming summer for a relatively small transfer fee. In this scenario, that fee is said to amount to just €30 to €35 million. In that case, Schlotterbeck’s alleged demand for a release clause would make more financial sense.

However, there is reportedly no bad blood at BVB despite the ongoing contract negotiations. At the very least, manager Niko Kovac demonstratively stood by Schlotterbeck at Thursday’s press conference ahead of Dortmund’s away match at VfB Stuttgart, placing no blame on him for the media hype of the past few days.

“I don’t believe Schlotti caused the headlines, but rather those who published the stories and put something out there that wasn’t entirely accurate. The club knows that, Schlotti knows that, and he has every right to set the record straight,” said Kovac. Kovac described only the fact that Schlotterbeck had suggested that negotiations had suffered a setback due to Kehl’s departure as “unfortunate”.

The manager also reiterated his confidence that Schlotterbeck would accept the offer of an early contract extension. "I’m very positive myself and will remain so. He’s a really good player. A player we need and whom we all love. We’ll do everything we can to ensure he stays with us," he said.