Schlotterbeck has included a clause in his contract that is only valid for three clubs.

football

Express newspaper

14/04/2026 18:20

The release clause that Nico Schlotterbeck has negotiated for a transfer after the World Cup is said to be valid for only three clubs.

According to "Sport Bild", only Real Madrid, Liverpool and an unidentified club can activate this clause that the central defender has included in his new contract with Borussia Dortmund.

Sky had previously reported that Bayern Munich - who have also been linked with an interest - are not among the clubs that could trigger the clause this summer.

Last Friday, Schlotterbeck extended his contract, which was originally set to expire in 2027, for another four years until 2031.

However, the 26-year-old is believed to have secured an exit clause that could be activated after the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico.

The defender's goal seems to be a good performance with the German national team in that tournament to secure a transfer to a big club.

Both Liverpool and Real Madrid could need defensive reinforcements this summer.

At Anfield, Ibrahima Konaté has yet to renew his expiring contract, while Virgil van Dijk, now 34, is nearing the end of his career.

At Real Madrid, Antonio Rüdiger and David Alaba are in the final year of their contracts, while the club seems willing to allow the Austrian to leave.

Éder Militão's injury history has also raised doubts, even though the club has young talents like Dean Huijsen and Raúl Asencio in store.

According to "Sport Bild", the release clause is not valid throughout the entire transfer window, but only until mid-July - around the time of the World Cup final (July 19).

Clubs that want to activate him must decide by then.

Meanwhile, Ruhr Nachrichten claims that the clause remains active until the start of the Bundesliga on August 28, while its fee is believed to be around 50–60 million euros.

If the deadline expires in mid-July, Dortmund would have around six weeks to find a replacement.

The summer transfer window in Germany is scheduled to run from July 1 to August 31, 2026.

During the weekend's home match against Bayer Leverkusen, Schlotterbeck was booed by some fans, who apparently saw his public declaration of loyalty to the club as hypocrisy./Express newspaper/