Could Süle be leaving at the end of the season?

Borussia Dortmund defender Niklas Sule could leave the club at the end of the 2025-26 season, according to German media Ruhr Nachrichten.

The 30-year-old, signed on a free transfer from Bayern Munich in 2022, hasn't lived up to expectations at the Signal Iduna Park and could head through the exit door next summer.

Although he's continued to find first-team chances under head coach Niko Kovac, the report says that his contract extension is currently out of question.

Upon joining the BVB three years ago, Sule was given a hefty salary of €14 million per year, making him one of the highest paid players at the club. His signing was also supposed to bolster Dortmund defensively and perhaps help them pick up a few trophies too.

But what's transpired is completely different. Recurring injuries have kept Sule from hitting new heights at the club. According to Transfermarkt, he's suffered eight different bouts of injuries, missing a total of 33 matches for Dortmund.

Offloading him could save Dortmund some losses which instead could be diverted towards securing Nico Schlotterbeck's future. The young gun has truly impressed this season and negotiations are currently underway for extending his contract, which runs till 2027.

Sule has accrued 99 appearances for Die Schwarzgelben in all competitions since joining in the summer of 2022. It includes 68 in the Bundesliga. Without injuries, it could have been a lot higher.

Due to his regular unavailability, Sule hasn't been able to nail down a spot in Dortmund's starting XI. Moreover, Kovac's back-three of Waldemar Anton, Nico Schlotterbeck and Ramy Bensebaini have looked solid this season, forging one of the meanest defences in Europe. So even if Sule manages to attain fitness now, he is unlikely to displace any of them in the XI. Substitute appearances are his best bet right now, unless any of the aforesaid players get injured or are rested. But even then, first-team chances appear bleak for Sule.

A fresh chapter away from the Signal Iduna Park beckons, and at 30, the German international still has enough time to return to his best.

Although it's still uncertain where Sule would end up, the Premier League remains an attractive prospect for him, according to Buli News. He will leave on a free transfer next summer unless a good opportunity arises in the winter, in which case Dortmund might consider cashing in instead of losing him for nothing.