Before retirement, this Bundesliga club considered BVB star Süle | OneFootball

Before his surprising retirement, Niklas Süle was apparently on the radar of several clubs. One Bundesliga side is even said to have looked into signing the BVB defender.

It seems Niklas Süle might actually have remained in the Bundesliga after all. Before the Borussia Dortmund center-back unexpectedly announced on Thursday that he would retire at the end of the season, BILD reports that 1. FC Köln, among others, had considered a possible move for the 30-year-old.

According to the report, there were at least some initial discussions at Effzeh about a free transfer in the summer. Internally, the club’s decision-makers are said to have examined the framework of a possible deal. However, doubts about whether it could actually be done reportedly emerged quickly, particularly because of the former Germany international’s likely high salary. As a result, there were ultimately never any concrete talks between the two sides.

Süle made his decision public on the Spielmacher podcast. The trigger for it was apparently Borussia Dortmund’s away match at TSG Hoffenheim on April 18. The defender had to leave the game injured, and for a time there were even fears of a third cruciate ligament tear. The situation reportedly took a heavy emotional toll on the 49-cap international.

Köln looked into signing BVB star Niklas Süle

“What I felt when our doctor did the drawer test in the dressing room, looked at the physio and shook his head, and the physio did the same and also couldn’t feel any resistance — I went into the shower and cried for ten minutes,” Süle described the dramatic moments after the match.

Photo: IMAGO

The MRI the next day did give the all-clear, but that was apparently also the moment the final decision was made. “When I went in for the MRI the next day and got the good news, I was one thousand percent sure that it was over,” said Süle. At the same time, the Dortmund player stressed that the mental strain had increasingly affected him: “I do believe I’m a player who, in terms of quality, could keep playing football. Mentally, it became more difficult.”

That his time at Borussia Dortmund was coming to an end had already been apparent for months. Back in March, BVB managing director Lars Ricken publicly stated that the center-back’s expiring contract would not be renewed. At the start of this week, Süle is then said to have personally informed coach Niko Kovac of his decision.

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