Liverpool transfer news as Real Madrid admits defeat to Reds in defender hunt

Real Madrid has reportedly accepted that it has lost out to Liverpool in the race to sign Borussia Dortmund defender Nico Schlotterbeck.

Schlotterbeck has emerged as one of the best defenders in the Bundesliga, and the 25-year-old is expected to be high in demand during next summer's transfer window.

Liverpool will almost certainly sign a new center-back next year, after missing out on Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi on transfer deadline day in September.

That failure to sign Guehi was compounded by a season-ending injury to new signing Giovanni Leoni last month, leaving the Reds with just Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez as center-back options until January at the earliest.

There is plenty of uncertainty in the center of Liverpool's defense at the moment, with Van Dijk now 34 years old, Konate's contract winding down, and Gomez having almost left the club on deadline day.

The signing of a center-back like Schlotterbeck would provide some long-term stability in the position, and Spanish outlet Defensa Central says that Madrid expects the 25-year-old to move to Anfield.

The report adds that Madrid is hopeful of taking advantage of Konate's contract situation at Liverpool and landing him on a free transfer instead.

Schlotterbeck is contracted to Dortmund until 2027, but it is unlikely that he will extend his stay with the Bundesliga club, despite Dortmund being keen to tie him to fresh terms until 2030.

German outlet Bild reported earlier this week that Liverpool has held initial talks with the player's representatives.

Despite it being apparent that Schlotterbeck has no intention of extending his contract at Dortmund, the German club's sporting director, Lars Ricken, issued a warning to the center-back that the club's patience has a limit.

Dortmund is understood to have put forward an offer that would see Schlotterbeck's wages rocket to approximately €8 million ($9.3 million) - effectively tripling his current earnings.

Speaking to Bild about the ongoing saga, Ricken commented: "It is his absolute right to plan his future carefully. We respect that.

"And I believe that the focus should not be on salary, but on prospects, trust, and conviction."

Nevertheless, he was quick to emphasize: "We will not rush into anything. But of course, we don't want to drag it out indefinitely. Everyone is aware of that."

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