Former Liverpool midfielder Didi Hamann believes Borussia Dortmund’s Nico Schlotterbeck would be a “great signing” for the Reds.

It was reported in the German media last month that the 22-cap international is being considered as a potential transfer target by the Premier League champions, and when asked about the player, Hamann said he could be a long-term successor for the club’s current captain:

“Liverpool are interested, but you don’t know how long Virgil van Dijk is going to be there. The perfect situation would be to bring somebody in who maybe plays with Van Dijk for one or two years and then takes over Van Dijk’s role.”

“I think he’d be a great signing for Liverpool, and a lot of other teams as well.”

Schlotterbeck’s contract situation makes a deal possible

The 25-year-old is closing in on the final 18 months of his current deal at Dortmund, and while the Bundesliga side have proposed an extension, he is reportedly not happy with the current salary on offer.

Schlotterbeck would earn €8m a year before tax, which works out at around £135,000 a week. That isn’t a tiny sum, but he could potentially earn a lot more than that.

Van Dijk, for example, signed a new contract last April worth £350,000 a week, and while Schlotterbeck may not demand that much, he could still receive up to double from other teams compared to what Dortmund are proposing.

Liverpool will have competition for the centre-half

It looks like Bayern Munich will be the Reds’ main rival for Schlotterbeck, although Real Madrid and Manchester City are also believed to be in the mix.

You do wonder whether the German would be content playing second fiddle to van Dijk initially before replacing him. He can play at left-back too, which would get him more game time, but he may feel he can get a better offer from elsewhere.

Read more about the Liverpool First Team Squad for 2025/26 here