Dortmund executive Ricken was interviewed recently and warned that the club would not wait indefinitely for Schlotterbeck's contract extension decision.

Schlotterbeck's contract with Dortmund has two years left to expire. The club hopes to reach an agreement with him on a new contract, but he has not yet decided whether to renew.

It is said that Dortmund has made an offer. If the contract extension is agreed, Schloterbeck's salary will be doubled to about 8 million euros. But with interest from Liverpool and Bayern Munich, Ricken has informed the centre-back that the club will not wait indefinitely for him to sign.

Riken talked about this in an interview with Bild: "He has every right to carefully plan his future. We respect that. And I think the focus should not be on salary, but on prospects, trust and belief."

"We are not going to rush things. But of course, we don't want to delay indefinitely, and everyone understands that."

With Schlotterbeck's future hanging in the balance, Liverpool is likely to be watching developments closely until 2026. The Reds failed to sign Gueye in the summer and are now short-handed in the defense. Leoni, who was introduced from Parma for £26 million this summer, will miss a year due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

It has been speculated that Liverpool will pursue Guei again in January next year or at the end of the 2025-26 season. But reports also emerged earlier this year that Schloterback had been identified as Van Dijk's long-term successor.