12 Jun 2026 11:37 BST |
4 min read
Germany defender Nico Schlotterbeck insists he is fully focused on the World Cup amid ongoing speculation linking him with Real Madrid.
Schlotterbeck has established himself as one of the best centre-backs in Europe at Borussia Dortmund, with whom he has made 161 appearances and scored 11 goals.
Such has been Schlotterbeck’s form for Dortmund that he has subsequently been linked with a move to Real this summer, with the 26-year-old reportedly having a release clause between €50million and €60m (£43.1m to £53.7m) in his contract which runs until 2031.
However, while the former SC Freiburg man says he is aware of the talk surrounding his long-term future at club level, he is adamant he is not paying too much attention to it.
Schlotterbeck has been included in Germany’s 26-man squad for the World Cup, with Julian Nagelsmann’s side looking to get their Group E campaign off to the perfect start against Curacao on Sunday.
In quotes carried by German publication BILD, Schlotterbeck said: “Yes, of course you get something like that (transfer speculation) through the media. But basically I already said that a few weeks ago, the complete focus is now on the World Cup, on the first game.
“In Qatar, we have seen how such a first game can go. That’s extremely important, that’s why I got it, but it’s not in my head at all.”
Schlotterbeck is hoping to help Germany qualify for the World Cup knockout phase for the first time since 2014, when they won the tournament, having suffered early exits at Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022.
Nagelsmann’s charges will lock horns with Ivory Coast in their second fixture on Saturday, 20 June before wrapping up their Group E obligations against Ecuador five days later.
Real confirm Mourinho’s blockbuster return on Thursday
Meanwhile Real confirmed Jose Mourinho as their new head coach on Thursday, with the Portuguese returning to the club he managed between 2010 and 2013 on a three-year contract.
Los Blancos announced they had paid Benfica €15m (£12.9m) to secure the services of Mourinho, with the 63-year-old becoming the joint-third most expensive manager in history behind Nagelsmann (€25m/£21.5m to Bayern Munich) and Graham Potter (€18.5m/£16m to Chelsea).
Mourinho’s return has come off the back of Florentino Perez defeating Enrique Riquelme in Real’s presidential elections, with the 79-year-old having won 65 per cent of the vote.
Former Chelsea and Manchester United boss Mourinho is aiming to rebuild a Real side who have failed to win a trophy in the last two seasons, with Ibrahima Konate and Denzel Dumfries set to become his first two signings.
Konate is poised to join on a free transfer upon the expiration of his contract with Liverpool, while widespread reports have also indicated Real are triggering a €20m (£17.3m) clause to land Inter Milan right-back Dumfries.
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