DORTMUND, Germany (AP) —
Borussia Dortmund defender Nico Schlotterbeck has ended speculation about a possible move to Real Madrid by extending his contract with the German club until 2031.
The 26-year-old Schlotterbeck, who has just one year left on his existing contract with Dortmund, has signed a new contract on Friday, the club announced.
Dortmund CEO Carsten Kramer said the extension was “very important. He is a person of great value to us as a player and as a person. And Nico too, we know exactly what he has for our club. He is highly valued and we feel that we are building something here and now.”
Germany international Schlotterbeck joined Dortmund from Freiburg in 2022 and has played 155 games in all competitions.
Negotiations over a new contract dragged on as Dortmund announced extensions for other players and confirmed some players would leave the club. Team captain Emre Can signed a contract extension despite I’m out injured For the rest of the season julian brandtSalih Ozkan and Niklas Sule will leave the club at the end of the season.
Negotiations stalled after Dortmund’s announcement. Sports director Sebastian Kehl resigns with immediate effect Last month, his successor Ole Book of second division team Elversbergclearly made Schlotterbeck’s uncertain future one of his top priorities.
“We have one of the best centre-backs in the world in Nico,” Book said. “His play with and without the ball, his distribution, his tackling, his presence and determination on the field, all of which make him incredibly valuable to us. We are confident that we can achieve great things with Nico at Borussia Dortmund.”
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