Liverpool make 25-year-old Bundesliga star top defensive target in potential £42 million deal: Reports

Liverpool have allegedly identified Borussia Dortmund centre-back Nico Schlotterbeck as a top defensive target ahead of the upcoming transfer window.

Schlotterbeck, 25, has established himself as one of the top defenders in Germany over the last few campaigns. The left-footed player helped his club finish second in the 2022-23 Bundesliga season and also reach the 2023-24 UEFA Champions League summit clash.

However, the Freiburg academy product's future at Dortmund has come into question of late. With BVB currently 10th in the Bundesliga standings, the German could attempt to leave the Niko Kovac-coached side in the near future.

Now, according to German outlet Sport Bild, Dortmund are keen to hand Schlotterbeck a new contract with the current one expiring in June 2027. However, Liverpool have expressed an interest in adding the star to their ranks after the end of the 2024-25 campaign.

With Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk in the last year of his contract and set to turn 34 this July, the Reds are aiming to launch a move for the BVB star this summer. They are willing to lodge a bid of around £42 million to sign Schlotterbeck, who has earned 18 caps for Germany.

Schlotterbeck, who left Freiburg for close to £17 million in 2022, has made 121 appearances in all competitions for Dortmund so far. He has bagged six goals and recorded 14 assists for the Bundesliga team, helping them register 41 clean sheets in the process.

Arne Slot opines on Liverpool's recent defeat

After Liverpool's latest UEFA Champions League exit at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), Reds head coach Arne Slot opined on the second leg clash. He told reporters (h/t BBC):

"It was the best game of football I have ever been involved in. It was an incredible performance, especially if you compare it with last week. Maybe we ran out of luck because the margins were so small. We played the perfect game, except for scoring. It was similar to PSG last week, when they played the perfect game and didn't score. In extra time, they were maybe a little bit better."

The Reds beat PSG 1-0 in the first leg of the last-16 game, while the Ligue 1 side defeated Slot's team 4-1 on penalties in the second leg at Anfield.

After Mohamed Salah netted in the penalty shootout, both Darwin Nunez and Curtis Jones failed to convert their respective penalties on Tuesday.