Real Madrid interferes in Barça's plans for Nico Schlotterbeck

Nico Schlotterbeck continues to attract interest in the European transfer market. The German defender, an undisputed starter for his national team and Borussia Dortmund, has been linked with FC Barcelona and, now, would also be on Real Madrid's radar. According to 'BILD', Florentino Pérez would be preparing an offer close to 70 million euros for the 26-year-old center-back.

After the arrival of Álvaro Arbeloa on the bench, the club does not seem willing to change its plans for the final stretch of the winter market. Injuries have put the 'Merengue' defense in check, with Éder Militao practically ruled out for the rest of the season, Antonio Rüdiger with minor issues, and David Alaba heading for a forced retirement due to his endless injuries.

The doubts generated by Dean Huijsen's poor present form and a bet on Raúl Asencio that is not entirely convincing open the door to signing another center-back, but Florentino prefers to wait until the summer to open his checkbook. Names like Ibrahima Konaté (Liverpool) have sounded strongly on the Madrid radar, with nothing closed for now

Dortmund Not Yet Giving Up on Schlotterbeck

**Nico Schlotterbeck**, for his part, garners consensus within the board due to his age (26), characteristics (1.91m tall, imposing in aerial duels and secure in possession play, though somewhat slow in a sprint), but Dortmund has by no means given him up for lost.

The defender has a contract until 2027 and in Germany they assure that the club is pressuring him to renew before the end of 25/26. This with the objective of securing a minimum transfer fee in the region of 80 million euros, 25 'kilos' above his current valuation on the 'Transfermarkt' website.

The Waiblingen native, beyond rumors about his future, remains untouchable for coach Nico Kovac. So far this season, he has scored 3 goals and 2 assists in 23 games (2,030 minutes), starting 22 of them. Nico only missed 6 matches due to muscle problems and has already made 147 official appearances for Borussia in three and a half seasons.

Barça could drop out of the race for Nico Schlotterbeck

The Blaugrana squad, for their part, sees their chances of entering the bidding for Nico Schlotterbeck becoming increasingly distant. On the one hand, **a renewal with Dortmund**, along with a prominent role with Germany in the World Cup, could drive his value above 80 million euros, a figure that Barça is not willing to invest in a center-back this year.

The club does prioritize reinforcing its defense next summer, perhaps with a left-footed center-back, but prefers to bet on 'low cost' alternatives. Names like Alessandro Bastoni (Inter) and Micky van de Ven (Tottenham) have also been strongly linked to the Catalan club, but the economic aspect is hindering negotiations between the partiesAnd the azulgrana board would only make a similar outlay next summer for the signing of a '9', awaiting what happens with Robert Lewandowski. The Pole does not rule out renewing with a significant salary adjustment, but his poor performance in 25/26 (11 goals in 24 games) and age (he will turn 38 in August) seriously compromise his continuity.

Regarding the defense, Hansi Flick is very pleased with the performance of the pairing of **Eric García-Pau Cubarsí**, as well as the good form of **Gerard Martín** in the center. If **Ronald Araujo** recovers his best form in the coming months, pursuing another center-back in the summer market would cease to be a priority for the club.