In an interview with Ruhr Nachrichten, Borussia Dortmund managing director of sport Lars Ricken has confirmed two further departures.
Last weekend, following Dortmund’s 2-1 win against 1.FC Köln, Ricken revealed that Julian Brandt will depart the club in the summer upon the expiry of his contract.
Now, the managing director of sport has confirmed that Niklas Süle and Salih Özcan will also leave Dortmund when their contracts expire at the end of June:
“We had very open and respectful discussions with both of them this week. In the end, we agreed with both Niklas and Salih that we would go our separate ways at the end of the season. But until then, we still have nine games ahead of us, which we all want to play as successfully as possible and qualify for the Champions League again this year.”
Both the defender and midfielder moved to the Westfalenstadion in the summer of 2022, and both were meant to play key roles in an upcoming successful period for die Schwarzgelben.
However, nothing materialised for any parties. Özcan failed to become a regular in the first team and spent time on loan at Wolfsburg.
While Süle joined as one of the club’s biggest earners from Bayern Munich on a free transfer and was expected to form the heart of the defence, constant injuries led to inconsistent performances, keeping him from his best physical condition.
