News summary
Nico Schlotterbeck watched Sunday's Formula One race at Zandvoort as a guest of Audi, where Sky got him talking about his ankle.
"It is simply a lengthy story," the centre-back said of the ankle ligaments he tore playing for Germany at the World Cup. Rehab goes on at Brackel.
September was the club's first estimate for his return, though that has quietly slipped. Nobody has set a new date.
Nils-Ole Book watched the Supercup from the stands and did not soften it afterwards. "Disappointment prevails; we had set our sights high for today," the sporting director said.
The second half was easier for Book.
Dortmund then "demonstrated our power" and showed what they can do going forward, he argued.
Losing again leaves Dortmund level with Bayern on seven Supercup defeats. Three of those have come in a row, more than any other host has managed, a grim analysis highlighted.
Carsten Cramer's commercial staff had a better Monday.
Cramer's people agreed a long-term tie-up with Widzew Lodz of the Polish top flight, built around youth development and coach education. Lukasz Piszczek will front it as ambassador.
"Poland and Borussia Dortmund have shared a friendship for many years," Cramer said.
Spirits are new at the Signal Iduna Park. Cramer's department handed the concession to Captain Morgan on a deal worth a high six-figure sum each year.
A mural of the Captain Morgan pirate has appeared on Kleine Beurhausstrasse. He is in black and yellow.
Transfer news
Hector Fort missed out on Barcelona's squad on Sunday.
No Dortmund delegation has flown to Barcelona, contrary to reports in Spain. Talks are live but delicate.
Barcelona want between 15 and 20 million euros for Fort.
A base of roughly ten million looks possible if the Catalans take a fat slice of any resale, which is the deal structure the clubs settled on when Karim Adeyemi went to Barcelona this summer.
Book has already said out loud what everyone at Brackel (and the fanbase) already knows. "We are not exactly stacked for depth at right-back," the sporting director admitted after the Supercup.
Personal terms with Fort are agreed.
Real Sociedad are still hovering, though Fort's camp keep turning down everyone but Dortmund. According to Bild, Barcelona want nearer 17m.
One sale would pay for Fort.
BVB Buzz set out on Monday how moving on Luca Reggiani to Inter could cover the outlay, though nothing has arrived from Milan yet.
Money coming the other way stopped dead at Serhou Guirassy's wage slip, which Barcelona looked at this month before backing away. Julian Alvarez is their preference clearly, though Atletico Madrid will not sell him.
Dortmund have a striker to sell as well. Two Turkish clubs are after Fabio Silva.
Trabzonspor have asked about a loan with an option to buy, while Rudy Galetti reports Galatasaray are keen too.
Everything has to be done by eight o'clock on the evening of the 1st September, when the German window shuts.
The Bundesliga starts on Saturday, at home to Hamburger SV. Kovac has four days to fix a back line that gifted Bayern both goals.
BVB Buzz opinion
Fabio Silva scored Dortmund's only goal on Saturday. He turned in a Daniel Svensson cross, then refused afterwards to say whether he would still be here in a fortnight.
"Of course I want to start more matches and help the team. I want to be even more important. If I said anything else, I would be lying," Silva told reporters at the ground.
Fair enough, and Kovac cannot hand him that while Guirassy stays fit and in form.
FotMob credits Silva with two goals and six assists from 805 Bundesliga minutes last season. That is a creator's return rather than a striker's.
He calls himself a nine and a half rather than a nine, and his representatives have clearly been working the phones.
Waving him off cheaply, with seven days left to replace him, would be poor business. Wolves got 22.5m euros for him.
Verdict: Let him grumble, start him in the Pokal, and see whether Kovac can field a nine and a half behind a nine. Keep him.
Add us as a preferred source on Google