According to a report by Sport Bild, Borussia Dortmund no longer plan to extend the contracts of Marcel Sabitzer and Ramy Bensebaini, which expire next summer.
For the Austrian, a stay is even currently "ruled out internally", the report says. The 32-year-old had already largely lost his regular place under coach Niko Kovac last season, and the signing of Joey Veerman has only made his situation worse.
That left a move for Sabitzer under discussion at times during the summer transfer window, and according to his adviser Roger Wittmann he also had plenty of options for a change of scenery: "There were ten different enquiries, but Marcel Sabitzer will stay," Wittmann announced before the transfer deadline.
Bensebaini appears to be in a similar position. Unlike Sabitzer, the defender featured more regularly under Kovac, but he is still not expected to be offered a new deal for next season. Borussia Dortmund would therefore lose both the Algerian and Sabitzer on free transfers.
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What next for Julian Ryerson, Waldemar Anton and Gregor Kobel?
According to the report, Borussia Dortmund want to stick with the strategy from the most recent summer transfer window and again focus more on younger players with room to develop, who can later be sold for significantly more money and generate profits.
There is, however, still set to be an experienced core, so the two defenders Julian Ryerson and Waldemar Anton have already been told that the club would like to extend their contracts, which currently run until 2028.
The same applies to goalkeeper Gregor Kobel, whose contract also runs until 30 June 2028. The Swiss has repeatedly been linked with various top clubs in the past, but talks with Borussia Dortmund's bosses over a new contract are still expected to take place this year.