Dortmund's managing director, Lars Ricken, has made the club's stance clear, issuing a warning through BILD (h/t SPORT): "We won't rush into anything. But, of course, we don't want to drag this out indefinitely, everyone knows that." The Black and Yellows have been understanding of Schlotterbeck's position, particularly as he has been recovering from a serious knee injury, but believe it is now time to define his long-term plans.
And...breathe. It was tense. It was difficult. But Germany prevailed in a must-win match away to Northern Ireland, winning 1-0 thanks to Nick Woltemade managing to squeeze the ball over the line with his shoulder. The three points were all that mattered and that it what the 2014 World Cup champions delivered, but this performance will be unlikely to stem worries about the team as a whole.
He's very communicative on the pitch. He's been an extremely strong defender for years and has done very well. I've known him for years, we played a few games together. I'm always happy to play alongside him. I think we complement each other well. For me the build-up with the ball is probably a bit more interesting than for him, while he probably defends better than me - so we actually fit well together,