Getting the 25-year-old central defender to extend his deal, which runs out next summer, is a top priority for Dortmund. However, with the likes of Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, and Liverpool keeping tabs on the German international, BVB are also preparing for the worst-case scenario. 

Premier League Replacement

BVB have identified Chelsea’s Axel Disasi as a potential replacement should Schlotterbeck leave next summer. 

The 27-year-old is surplus to requires at Chelsea and isn’t even training with the first team as it stands. Although Chelsea paid €45m for the Frenchman in 2023, he’ll be available for much less given the lack of playing time. What’s more, his €5m yearly salary is well within Dortmund’s financial range. 

Disasi has previously played under current BVB head coach Niko Kovač during his time at AS Monaco. Now, a reunion could be on the cards should Schlotterbeck leave, or even if Niklas Süle leaves the club when his deal also runs out in the summer of 2026. 

GGFN | Jamie Allen

The club are currently in negotiations with Dayot Upamecano over a new contract, with the defender’s deal set to expire next summer. However, the Frenchman is not short of suitors and will be free to negotiate with other clubs once the January transfer window opens. Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool have all been linked with the central defender.

Should the France international leave the Allianz Arena, Murillo is among Bayern’s top targets to replace him. However, it would likely be a very costly deal for die Rekordmeister, as the Brazilian is under contract with the Reds until 2029 and crucially, does not have a release clause.

Murillo joined Forest from Corinthians in the summer of 2023 and has been instrumental to the club’s progress over the past two seasons—particularly last season, when they secured Europa League qualification with a seventh-place finish in the Premier League.

GGFN | Harry Good

As recently as the end of June, Coman had made it clear he had no intentions on seeking a move away from Germany, once declaring: “I want to stay at Bayern.” Nevertheless, just a matter of weeks later, he was packing his bags and leaving the German champions to join Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr.

Even now – two months into this new chapter of his career – Coman admits he could have easily imagined staying in Munich. “By the end of the transfer, there were certain things – I won’t get into details – that made everything more complicated. It wasn’t that I was forced out, but the club made it clear that, financially, they were open to me leaving.”

Incidentally, Bayern’s board member for sport, Max Eberl, had already floated the idea of selling him a year earlier – a move which Coman had refused at the time. However, this summer it was different – he said he still felt “the love of the coach, the fans, and some board members,” but not from everyone. “There was a part of the club that wanted to see me go, and that really weighed on me,” the 29-year-old admitted.

Coman joined Bayern from Juventus in 2015, going on to win nine Bundesliga titles and score the winning goal in the 2020 Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain. Over the course of 330 appearances in all competitions, the winger scored 72 goals and provided 71 assists – not bad for a player who also had to battle several repeated injuries throughout his Bayern career.

Despite his mixed feelings surrounding his departure, Coman insisted there was no bad blood between him and his former club, declaring: “I’ll come back one day to say goodbye properly. I spent nearly ten years there and the club still means a lot to me.”

Coman has enjoyed a strong start to life as an Al-Nassr player, claiming two goals and four assists in his opening four league games. Such performances have seen him make a return to the French national squad for the October internationals, after having missed out on playing the Nations League’s final stages earlier in the year.

Having received the call-up from France coach Didier Deschamps, Coman insists the move hasn’t changed his level: “Twenty minutes per game at Bayern or playing every week here – which is better?” he asked rhetorically.

“I’m the same player I was in Munich. I’m not going to suddenly lose my quality. Al-Nassr has a great team – we’d hold our own in Europe. And here, I get to play regularly. At Bayern, when you only play every other game, your influence fades.”

GGFN | Sam Carey

The 25-year-old England international was close to leaving South London in the summer transfer window when Liverpool thought they’d got their man. However, the deal fell through at the last minute, and Guehi stayed put. 

Guehi’s current deal at Palace runs out next summer, and it’s expected that he won’t be looking to extend his contract. 

With that in mind, unless someone comes in for him during the winter transfer window, Guehi will be one of the most sought-after free agents in the summer of 2026. 

Max Eberl is a big fan of the Englishman, but the club couldn’t make a move this summer due to not being able to offload Kim Min-jae. 

The South Korean is expected to leave at the end of the season, giving Bayern the chance to move in for Guehi, who would be considered top of their priority list. 

Bayern will have to be savvy in their work, however. They lost out to Liverpool in the previous window for Florian Wirtz. What’s more, Real Madrid will also be looking to tempt the Englishman to the Spanish capital. 

GGFN | Jamie Allen

Speaking in Tuesday’s press conference ahead of BVB’s UEFA Champions League game against Athletic Club, Schlotterbeck was asked about a possible contract extension in October.

“Today is actually the wrong time to talk about it because it’s the Champions League,” said the German defender. “But I already said recently: ‘I feel good’. We put the talks on the back burner regarding the injury because I wanted to focus on myself first – and give myself some time.

“But of course, the appreciation on both sides is very high. But it won’t be so early that I extend my contract. We’ll have talks now. I’ll sit down with Sebastian Kehl, make a plan, and then we’ll see what comes of it.”

Borussia Dortmund and Nico Schlotterbeck expected to reach an agreement

There are unlikely to be any hurdles. The 25-year-old’s current deal expires in 2027, and he is expected to double his salary to €10m with his new extension. On top of this, there is also talk of Schlotterbeck becoming the face of the club going forward and would eventually be given the captain’s armband.

GGFN | Daniel Pinder

Bayern are considering a move for a new striker next summer and already have the Serbian international on their watchlist. The 25-year-old moved to Juventus from Fiorentina in January 2022 and has gone on to score 62 goals for the Old Lady. 

What makes Vlahović an even more attractive move is that he will become a free agent in June 2026. 

With his high wages, it’s believed that Juventus will not be able to provide Vlahović with a fresh contract. 

With this in mind, the Italian side may push to sell him in the upcoming winter transfer window, in order to get something from their star striker. 

Bayern, of course, will not be the only side in Europe looking at securing the signature of Vlahović. 

As per the report, Premier League duo Manchester United and Chelsea are also monitoring the situation. 

With United forward Benjamin Šeško hardly setting the world alight, the Red Devils could look to bolster their options. 

The transfer of Vlahović in the upcoming transfer windows will certainly be one to watch.

GGFN | Jamie Allen

Jackson completed his loan move from Chelsea on deadline day, joining Bayern on a season-long loan with an obligation to buy. The obligation is said to be activated once the 24-year-old has started 40 games for the Bundesliga side in the league and the Champions League. 

On why he chose to move to Bayern, Jackson said:

“There are always changes in football. Max and the coach really wanted me. As a player, you want to be where everyone wants you to be there. I’ve watched Bayern all my life. It was a dream to join this massive club. When they called me I was excited and ready to come and play for them.”

Bayern are in much need of depth in their squad, and the arrival of Jackson does help to address this. The 24-year-old can not only play as a number nine, but he will also be able to provide backup for both Luis Diaz and Michael Olise on the wings. 

Jackson could potentially make his debut for Bayern this weekend against Hamburg at the Allianz Arena on Saturday. 

Whether the 24-year-old will stay at Bayern permanently is yet to be seen, but it does not look likely, especially if Harry Kane does not pick up a major injury. With only 32 Bundesliga games left, it would require Jackson to start every single one on top of eight Champions League games. 

GGFN | Jack Meenan

Eriksen joins five Danish compatriots on Germany’s green company team. All but two of those five players (currently out-of-favor striker Jonas Wind and versatile winger//fullback Joakim Maehle) have been recruited but Wolfsburg’s current Danish managing director Peter Christiansen.

After taking over for the departed Marcel Schäfer in the summer of 2024, Christiansen also brought in winger Andreas Skov Olsen and fullback Mads Roerslev (since departed) during the January 2025 transfer window. Jesper Lindstrøm and Adam Daghim were acquired this summer.

“For me, VfL Wolfsburg is my first stop in the Bundesliga,” Eriksen noted in his introductory statement. “I’m really looking forward to this new adventure. I am convinced that we can achieve something together in Wolfsburg. The fact that there are numerous familiar faces from the Danish national team in the squad makes VfL particularly attractive to me.“

“With Christian Eriksen, we are getting a player who has seen and experienced everything at the highest level,” VfL sporting director Sebastian Schindzielorz added. “His extensive experience will help guide our younger players. Alongside our experienced captain Max Arnold, Christian is another leader who is the perfect addition to our team and can make a difference both on and off the pitch.“

GGFN | Peter Weis

Since his contract with English giants Manchester United expired in the summer, numerous big clubs all over Europe have been in the race for Eriksen’s signature, though none – as of yet – have had any success.

That was until kicker concurred with what Danish outlet Tipsbladet had reported; that a Bundesliga switch to join Wolfsburg was not only on the cards for the Danish international, but also incredibly likely.

Eriksen, who has been at Manchester United since July 2022, enjoyed a solid farewell 2024/25 campaign in England, netting five times and assisting six in 35 appearances across all competitions.

A seasoned international veteran, Eriksen has 144 total caps for Denmark, across which he has scored 46 goals, making him both the most capped player and the third-most prolific goalscorer in the nation’s history.

At Wolfsburg, he will be joining an ever-growing cohort of Danish talent including Jonas Wind, Joakim Mæhle, Jesper Lindstrøm, Adam Daghim, and Andreas Skov Olsen.

Following the appointment of fellow Dane Kasper Hjulmand to the head coach position at Bayer Leverkusen, rumours had emerged linking Eriksen to Die Werkself.

However, it looks as though he will now join a Bundesliga rival instead, with the hopes of getting enough game time to be selected to travel with Denmark to the 2026 FIFA World Cup no doubt a factor. That being said, he was not included in coach Brian Riemer’s squad for the two most recent qualifiers against Scotland (0–0) and in Greece (3–0).

GGFN | Sam Carey

After it was announced at the beginning of the week that he would replace Erik ten Hag, today he was officially unveiled as head coach. 

Hjulmand was the previous head coach of the Danish national team, but left last summer after their loss to Germany in the EURO 2024 round of 16. Since then, Hjulmand has been working alongside the Danish FA to build a football development system, similar to that which is currently in place in Frankfurt with the DFB. 

On leaving the project and ultimately joining Leverkusen, Hjulmand said:

“There’s only one club that could give me this feeling in a week, and that’s Leverkusen. I have a feeling that I can be myself. I don’t have to explain how I see football, how I want to work to get the expression on the pitch, how to play, how to win.”

When asked if he had spoken to some of the players, the Dane said (via @bayer04Xtra):

“I’ve also talked to to some of the players already. I called them up and we had a good talk, because it’s going to be hectic, only two days, then we play. So, I called some players up and talked to them. I’m excited. I’m looking forward to it. I’m very happy, and I can’t wait to do everything I can to make Bayer Leverkusen a successful football team.”

The one player that Hjulmand is familiar with is Jonas Hofmann. During the Dane’s brief spell with Mainz, 10 years ago, Hofmann was on loan at the 05ers from his then club Borussia Dortmund. 

The former Mainz head coach will face a challenge in trying to install his ideas into the squad; on top of this, Hjulmand gets no proper preseason either. On the challenge, he commented:

“I think it’s a big challenge, because in football, you need processes. You don’t just push a button, and then they play like you say, that’s not football. You have to work every day and create. I think I think it will be hard work, but I think the potential is a big. I think there’s so much talent, so much quality, both in experience, but also with young, talented players. And we are looking to make that work and make it tick, so suddenly it will hopefully explode. And we don’t know when. But up until that, we will play good minutes, we’ll have bad minutes, we’ll see if we can get more and more good minutes and make it work. And I think I’ve learned a lot with the national team as well, because you don’t have many training sessions – you know, we get in, we play two or three matches, 10 days – you have to be very precise with your minutes on the pitch, and that’s how it is right now. We have six games in a short time period, no training sessions really, only very, very few tactical training sessions. And then we learn from game to game. I think I learned a lot as a national team coach for that, because I don’t have pre-season, only games and short training sessions. I know what I will do, and I think I have the right experience to do it. So, I’m just looking forward to get started.”

Hjulmand will take charge of training later today with his first game in charge being on Friday at the BayArena against Eintracht Frankfurt. 

GGFN | Jack Meenan