Insider drops Nico Schlotterbeck transfer claim which’ll be music to Liverpool fans’ ears
One transfer insider has shared a claim about Nico Schlotterbeck which could be music to the ears of Liverpool fans.
Last month, CF Bayern Insider reported that the Borussia Dortmund centre-back would be interested in a potential contract offer from the Reds, and there were even reports from Spain that Real Madrid privately believe the defender will choose Arne Slot’s side over them.
Earlier this year, Sky journalist Sacha Tavolieri had cited the Bundesliga club’s asking price for the Germany international at €60m (£52.9m), but the Premier League champions might possibly be able to acquire him for less than that.
Liverpool could sign Schlotterbeck for a ‘cut-price fee’ in 2026
Speaking on the Inside Track podcast (via Football Insider), Pete O’Rourke claimed that Liverpool could plausibly acquire Schlotterbeck for less than the usual going rate for a 25-year-old centre-back playing at an elite level.
He explained: “Liverpool will be definitely in that race to try and sign him and bring him to England if they can. A top player like that, you might be able to get him for a cut-price fee next summer, especially if he’s going into the final year of his contract with Dortmund without any agreement on an extension.
“They might be able to get him for a lot lower fee than you would normally expect for a current Germany international as well.”
Liverpool would be silly not to go all-out for Schlotterbeck
If Schlotterbeck is genuinely interested in playing for Liverpool and the Reds have a chance to sign him at a discounted fee, then they simply must be all over a potential swoop for the Dortmund defender, who has just over 18 months remaining on his current contract.
The 25-year-old’s underlying performance metrics are among the best of any centre-back in Europe’s top five leagues over the past year, as illustrated by figures from FBref in the chart below.
| per 90 minutes | Percentile | |
| Assists | 0.17 | 99th (top 1%) |
| Progressive passes | 7.43 | 99th |
| Shot-creating actions | 1.83 | 97th |
| Passes made | 84.06 | 97th |
| Shots | 0.88 | 92nd |
| Successful take-ons | 0.48 | 92nd |
| Progressive carries | 1.29 | 89th |
Even if Ibrahima Konate ultimately agrees a contract extension amid the ongoing uncertainty over his future, Liverpool would be wise to seize any opportunity to land the Germany international, who’s of a similar age profile and is now coming into his peak footballing years.
Virgil van Dijk will be about to turn 36 once his current contract expires in 2027, and the Anfield hierarchy now need to give serious consideration as to who’ll be entrusted with taking over the reins as our centre-back leader after the Dutchman departs.
They’d be hard pressed to find better than Schlotterbeck, who’d be worth paying a premium to sign, never mind the prospect of snapping him up for a comparative bargain if he doesn’t pen new terms at Dortmund over the coming months.
You can watch Slot’s full post-Man City press conference via Empire of the Kop on YouTube:
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