Sebastian Kehl: Niklas Süle and Nico Schlotterbeck could have earned significantly more money elsewhere

Sebastian Kehl has revealed that Niklas Süle and Nico Schlotterbeck could have both earned significantly more money elsewhere. But the duo chose to join Borussia Dortmund because they really want to play for the club.

Squad planning for next season is in full swing at Borussia Dortmund, and they have already completed two signings ahead of the start of the summer transfer window. Niklas Süle will join on a free transfer from Bayern Munich, and Nico Schlotterbeck is set to make the switch from SC Freiburg.

The defensive duo attracted the interest of a number of other clubs, but chose to join Borussia Dortmund. Now Sebastian Kehl has revealed that both Süle and Schlotterbeck could have earned significantly more money at other clubs, but decided to join BVB.

Kehl, who will succeed Michael Zorc as Borussia Dortmund’s sporting director in the summer, was a guest on the Sport1-Doppelpass on Sunday, where he spoke about the club’s plans for the transfer window and a number of other topics.

"“Niklas and also Nico could have earned significantly more money at other clubs. We told them, ‘This is what we can pay, and we have a desire to sign them.’ The guys repeatedly noticed this desire in the countless conversations we had.”“Identification is an important issue in the Ruhr region, which is why I deliberately made it a priority to sign players who aren’t moving to Borussia Dortmund because of the money, but because they really want to play for this club. Niklas Süle has made a clear statement in this regard, Nico Schlotterbeck also had several options and decided to join Borussia Dortmund.”"

With the defence now bolstered, Borussia Dortmund will look to bring in reinforcements in other areas in the coming weeks. The signing of Karim Adeyemi from RB Salzburg should be made official soon. The highly rated forward is expected to join BVB for a club record transfer fee.

Also on the Black and Yellows’ agenda for the summer transfer window is a replacement for Erling Haaland (who is set to join Manchester City), a new defensive midfielder, and a full-back.