New BVB rival: Chelsea eye up Nico Schlotterbeck 👀 | OneFootball

Nico Schlotterbeck (25) plays as if he had never been away. The Borussia Dortmund center-back was sidelined for almost half a year due to a meniscus injury. Now, the BVB defense chief is also celebrating his comeback in the national team. In London, officials are watching his career with great interest.

In the early weeks of the new season, Chelsea FC did not appear particularly solid defensively. In the Champions League, Bayern Munich mercilessly exposed the Blues' weaknesses with their 3-1 victory. The absence of Levi Colwill (22), who will be out until well into next year due to a cruciate ligament tear, is painfully noticeable.

With Trevoh Chalobah (26), Wesley Fofana (24), Tosin Adarabioyo (28), Benoit Badiashile (24), and Josh Acheampong (19), the club world champion's central defense is numerically well-staffed. However, the quartet does not quite have the quality to compete at the very top.

Return to the National Team

According to Footballinsider, Chelsea is already looking for reinforcements for 2026. Their attention is also directed towards Dortmund. Schlotterbeck, who has a contract with BVB until 2027, is at the center of interest. "He is exactly the type of player Chelsea needs," says Mick Brown (75), former chief scout of Manchester United and AFC Sunderland. The capital club's "current options" are "not good enough."

However, expert Brown is sure that signing the 25-year-old will not be easy. Dortmund does not want to "lose" Schlotterbeck. Therefore, the Black and Yellows are aiming for a contract extension beyond 2027.

Just last summer, the native of Waiblingen rose to become Germany's number one center-back in the Kicker rankings. In his three Bundesliga appearances since returning to the pitch, Schlotterbeck has already proven his worth again. National coach Julian Nagelsmann is also convinced and has called the BVB defender into his squad for the upcoming international matches against Luxembourg (October 10) and Northern Ireland (October 13).

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.