The clearest hurdle in Liverpool’s reported interest in Nico Schlotterbeck is not the fee. It is the length of the contract he already has.

Schlotterbeck extended his Borussia Dortmund deal until 2031 in April 2026, a four-year extension that was accompanied by a release clause of around €60m, active only from the summer of 2027, according to Get German Football News.

That timing matters, because the fresh reporting about Liverpool’s interest also points to the summer of 2027.

O’Rourke names a four-man shortlist

Pete O’Rourke reported for Football Insider on Monday that Liverpool have drawn up a four-man list of centre-backs: Schlotterbeck, Alessandro Bastoni at Inter Milan, Jules Koundé at Barcelona, and Nottingham Forest’s Murillo. The move is said to be driven by the contracts of Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez, both of which run out next summer.

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O’Rourke framed the German as a long-standing name on Liverpool’s defensive wishlist.

“Nico Schlotterbeck is a long-term target, the Borussia Dortmund and Germany centre-back who was linked with the move to Liverpool last summer,” he told Football Insider. “He signed a new deal but I’m sure is a player who is still on their radar.”

The reporting is a transfer rumour, not a confirmed move. Neither Fabrizio Romano nor David Ornstein has corroborated it, and no club has made a statement. Transfermarkt currently values the 26-year-old at around £46m, though his buy-out figure sits well above that.

Schlotterbeck’s own words point away from an exit

Dortmund’s announcement carried a quote from Schlotterbeck on signing the extension.

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“I am extremely happy to have extended my contract with BVB. I deliberately took my time because it was an important decision for me.”

CEO Carsten Cramer called the extension “of enormous importance” to the club in the same announcement. Kicker reported a salary of around €10m a year before bonuses, which would make Schlotterbeck Dortmund’s top earner.

Van Dijk and Gomez contracts expire in June 2027

Liverpool will enter the summer of 2027 potentially needing to rebuild the centre of their defence. The alternatives O’Rourke mentions each come with their own obstacles: Bastoni is tied to Inter, Koundé remains under contract at Barcelona, and Murillo would command a sizeable fee from a Premier League rival in Forest.

Any approach for Schlotterbeck would, on the current reporting, mean waiting for the release clause window to open in the summer of 2027 or negotiating a deal above it. Dortmund have just locked the player down for five more years.

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