Manchester United have joined the race to sign Borussia Dortmund centre-back Nico Schlotterbeck, with the Bundesliga club’s stance on securing funds now clear.
Man United have made huge strides over the past month or so, scoring 11 points in their last five games, but it’s fair to say their defensive record still needs significant improvement.
Ruben Amorim’s side have scored 18 goals in their opening 11 games, tied for the most by a team ranked 16th or above in the Premier League, but have not kept a clean sheet since a 2-0 win over Sunderland in early October.
Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt have both impressed in attack, with the former scoring the winning goal at Anfield, but the Dutchman recently received high praise from Rio Ferdinand, who said: “De Ligt is our best defender this season.”
“I think he’s been outstanding for us, adding goals like the last-minute tying goal the other day.”
However, Amorim clearly needs to tighten up at the back given the number of goals his side have conceded, and the Red Devils have set their sights on new targets.
Manchester United enter race to sign Nico Schlotterbeck
According to a report from TEAMtalk, Manchester United have joined the race to sign Schlotterbeck from Borussia Dortmund, with Schlotterbeck about to enter the final 18 months of his contract with the German club, which could lead to a signing war.
Liverpool have also emerged as potential suitors for the centre-back, who has been compared to Virgil van Dijk given his composure under pressure shown in the Champions League.
Dortmund are currently at risk of losing the 25-year-old on a free transfer and may need to come up with cash due to their financial situation, as there is no lack of interest with Barcelona currently thought to be leading the race to sign him.
The defender’s ball-playing ability and left-footed handedness are said to be a perfect fit for Amorim, with the Dortmund star receiving high praise from former Premier League chief scout Mick Brown.
Mr Brown said: “He is a dominant centre-back and a regular for the German national team, a very defensive option who likes to win tackles, win headers and be in charge of the last line.”
Impressively, the German is also very comfortable in possession, as shown by his performance in several key passing and dribbling metrics over the past year.
Nico Schlotterbeck passing and dribbling statistics | Average around 90 |
Number of pass attempts | 84.06 (97th percentile) |
progressive path | 7.43 (99th percentile) |
progressive carry | 1.29 (89th percentile) |
successful take-up | 0.48 (92nd percentile) |
Schlotterbeck has top-level experience, including 22 caps for Germany and 35 Champions League appearances, and could be an ideal option for left-centre-back Amorim.
