Borussia Dortmund are set to win the race for SC Freiburg centre-back Nico Schlotterbeck, despite an eleventh-hour attempt by rivals Bayern Munich, who, as it was reported, offered the youngster more money, reports BILD.
The 22-year-old has enjoyed a remarkable breakthrough in the heart of the Freiburg defense, playing the second-most number of minutes across all competitions for a side that has often punched above its weight this season.
Dortmund weren’t the only team keen on signing Schlotterbeck in the postseason. But, CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke did confirm the club’s interest in the youngster recently, pointing to the good qualities that make him a player whom they like.
“He has made a meteoric rise in recent months, has a good attitude and, above all, self-confidence. It’s no secret that we think he’s good,”
he was quoted as saying by BVB Buzz.
Schlotterbeck, who came up the Freiburg ranks alongside his brother Keven and spent the 2020/21 season on loan at Union Berlin, has a year remaining on his contract. As such, Dortmund will not pay an exorbitant amount to sign the youngster; the club will spend 20 million to sign him from Freiburg.
Interestingly, Bayern Munich, too, tried their luck at signing the German with a last-ditch move, even offering to pay him more money than he would receive at Dortmund. However, having committed to a future transfer to the Westfalenstadion, the 22-year-old rejected the opportunity to sign for the German champions.
Schlotterbeck will become Dortmund’s second signing of the summer. The Schwarzgelben previously confirmed the capture of Bayern centre-back Niklas Sule on a free transfer for the subsequent seasons; they are also in talks with RB Salzburg for the transfer of young attacker Karim Adeyemi.
It is expected Schlotterbeck takes up Manuel Akanji’s position in the squad, with the Swiss international – who has just a year remaining on his contract – linked with a move away from the club. Dortmund are also likely to lose defender Dan-Axel Zagadou, whose contract is up this summer.
