Overview
- Sources told multiple outlets on Monday that Nico Schlotterbeck remains a priority target for Liverpool despite signing a new long-term deal with Borussia Dortmund earlier in 2026.
- Liverpool have a four-man centre-back shortlist that also includes Nottingham Forest’s Murillo, Inter Milan’s Alessandro Bastoni and Barcelona’s Jules Kounde, and the club expects to pursue a signing across the next two transfer windows.
- Dortmund’s reported hardline stance and Schlotterbeck’s contract—widely reported to run until 2031—are likely to raise the transfer fee and complicate any move in January or next summer.
- Ronald Araujo’s loan is expected to be made permanent and his long-term deployment at right-back under Andoni Iraola will influence whether Liverpool seek a left-sided, left-footed centre-back like Schlotterbeck.
- The plan responds to a clear need: Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez approach the end of their deals next summer, so Liverpool are monitoring targets now to manage cost, timing and positional fit.