

Borussia Dortmund's managing director for sport, Lars Ricken, is taking a little bit of a risk for next season: he is willing to start the 2025/26 campaign without discussing any contract extensions for three of Dortmund's key players - Julian Brandt, Niklas Süle and Emre Can.
All of their contracts end in June 2026 and Ricken is willing to even lose all three of them at the end of the season on free deals. Another contract which runs out at the end of next season, is the one of head coach Nico Kovač.
“We will start the season with this lineup and see how things develop. Then we will see how the future looks as the season progresses,” Ricken said in an interview with Kicker magazine.
Although these players have been the subject of criticism from time to time, Ricken said that “there is definitely appreciation for these players.