Borussia Dortmund move to block Real Madrid cut-price deal for defender

Real Madrid are gearing up to sign a new central defender in the summer, amid doubts over the continuity of Antonio Rudiger and David Alaba. Numerous targets have been identified in recent months, and right now, the favoured option appears to be Borussia Dortmund’s Nico Schlotterbeck.

Alaba is certain to depart when his contract expires at the end of June, and Real Madrid value the idea of replacing him with a similar profile – that being a left-sided centre-back. They like Schlotterbeck in this regard, and the fact that he has less than 18 months remaining on his current Dortmund deal means that a cut-price deal could be negotiated in the summer.

Schlotterbeck is not prepared to sign a new contract at this stage, which is a big concern for Dortmund. However, they have now taken a new approach that they hope will be successful, which involves agreeing a renewal with an affordable release clause, as per Diario AS.

Dortmund do not want to risk losing Schlotterbeck as a free agent, which could happen if Real Madrid tell him to follow in the footsteps of Kylian Mbappe and Trent Alexander-Arnold by moving to the Bernabeu once his contract expires. They see this avenue as a way to ensure that everyone wins, but whether the Germany international goes for it remains to be seen.

Real Madrid can afford to hold off on Schlotterbeck until 2027

Real Madrid could very well decide to wait until Schlotterbeck’s contract expires in the summer of 2027, given they could renew Rudiger’s contract for an additional year alongside signing one of Ibrahima Konate or Jacobo Ramon in the summer. It’s understandable that Dortmund would fear this happening, given that it already played out with Mbappe and Alexander-Arnold, but for now, they are at risk of losing their prized defender one way or another.