Real Madrid Preparing Bid For Borussia Dortmund’s Nico Schlotterbeck

The German defender has been linked with a number of top clubs even in this early stage of the summer transfer window. However, no bids have yet arrived on Borussia Dortmund’s doorstep.

This looks set to change in the coming days, however, as it has been reported by Bild that Real Madrid are currently preparing an offer to be submitted to Borussia Dortmund for Nico Schlotterbeck in the near future.

In the same report, it is said that Nico Schlotterbeck has “repeatedly emphasised to his inner circle” that a move to Real Madrid has been a long-held dream, and the idea of the move now is highly appealing. Jose Mourinho, the new Real Madrid manager, is also said to be a “fan of Schlotterbeck.

The exact fee for Nico Schlotterbeck is unknown at this time, but what is known is that Nico Schlotterbeck does have a €50-€60 million release clause in his contract; however, that does reportedly expire around the end of the World Cup, which is July 19th, so the Spanish side will need to act fast to avoid having to negotiate with Borussia Dortmund.

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This transfer does make sense from a Real Madrid perspective. With David Alaba leaving, Antonio Rudiger suffering from several injuries in recent years, and Dean Huijsen struggling to find real consistency at the Bernabeu, getting in an experienced top-level defender about to enter the peak years of his career would be a statement signing for Real Madrid, the type in which Florentino Perez promised in his re-election campaign. 

But where does this leave Borussia Dortmund? Well, replacing one of their best players this summer in Nico Schlotterbeck probably wasn’t part of the plans; however, with the constant links surrounding his exit from the club, it's hard to imagine that Borussia Dortmund have no contingency plans about what they are going to do in the area of the defence. 

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For now, Borussia Dortmund will have to wait and see whether this reported bid from Real Madrid does eventually come because this isn’t the first club that has been heavily linked with Nico Schlotterbeck this summer.

Liverpool have long been linked with the defender this summer, and despite an apparent clear need to reinforce in that position, following the departure of Ibrahima Konate to Real Madrid, Liverpool haven’t, up to this point, made an official bid for Nico Schlotterbeck

Borussia Dortmund will be hoping that either no offer arrives at all from Real Madrid, as well as any club for that matter, or it arrives after the expiration of Nico Schlotterbeck’s release clause, meaning the ball is in the German club's court. 

In this case, they can ask for whatever fee they deem Nico Schlotterbeck worthy of, with the centre back having a contract until 2031 at the Signal Iduna Park, Borussia Dortmund would be under zero pressure to sell. 

However, playing a difficult negotiating game could lead to the player himself becoming unhappy, which could massively affect the dressing room and, in turn, performances going into next season.

This will not be a headache that the club will want to cause, so if/when a bid is made for Nico Schlotterbeck, I would expect a swift conclusion to the matter, allowing Dortmund enough time to find an adequate replacement, should they need to do so.