Hans-Joachim Watzke hinted at the presence of a release clause in Nico Schlotterbeck’s new contract, and that does provide a boost to his potential suitors.
Nico Schlotterbeck signed a new deal at Borussia Dortmund after months of speculation surrounding his future at Signal Iduna Park. He was lately expected to pen a new deal, and he has done so despite a host of top teams chasing the 26-year-old centre-back’s signature.
However, following his new deal and his subsequent appearance for Borussia Dortmund against Bayer Leverkusen on home soil, the fans were booing the defender. The reason was the revelation of a release clause in his contract that would still allow clubs to sign him in the upcoming summer window.
Liverpool have been interested in Schlotterbeck ahead of the summer, and so have been a host of other teams. The Merseyside outfit are looking into the market for a left-sided centre-back, and the Dortmund defender fits their style to a large extent.
Real Madrid are also interested in Nico Schlotterbeck, and the release clause in his deal will give them hope despite Schlotterbeck penning fresh terms at Signal Iduna Park. Florentino Perez will take note of the said release clause, which was only reported before, but whose presence has now been hinted at by Dortmund president Hans-Joachim Watzke.
Watzke told Nuhr Nachrichten via Bild that there might be a clause, but that it was designed more to protect the club’s valuation of the player. Had Schlotterbeck not signed a new deal, he could have left on a free in 2027, although the likelihood of then having to sell him on the cheap ahead of the upcoming summer would have been high.
Watzke did not reveal the value of the release clause, but hinted at its presence and said, “We will not release any details regarding the contract terms. Otherwise, we would have risked entering the final year of Nico’s contract at the start of the new season. We wanted to avoid that at all costs. Should it happen at some point that he wants to leave, then we will definitely receive a higher sum this summer than if he hadn’t extended his contract.”
Bild goes on to state that the release clause is in the region of €50-60 million, which would be seen as a reasonable price by some of the suitors. However, the idea of signing a new deal and then leaving in the upcoming window is the reason the fans are irked.
There is also the suggestion that there is a time limit on the activation of the release clause, which does give Borussia Dortmund time to find a replacement in case of Schlotterbeck’s departure.
