Borussia Dortmund are bracing for impact.
Inside Signal Iduna Park, the message is clear: the club will not be caught cold if the heart of their defence is ripped out this summer. With uncertainty swirling around key centre-backs, BVB have moved early, and their gaze has settled firmly on one of Ligue 1’s rising prospects – Abdelhamid Ait Boudlal of Rennes.
Dortmund look to Rennes for the future
At 19, Ait Boudlal is hardly a finished product, but that is precisely the appeal. Under contract at Rennes until 2028 and widely regarded as one of the most promising defenders in France, he has become a high-priority target for sporting director Ole Book as Dortmund sketch out a new era at the back.
His profile has sharpened in recent months. Ait Boudlal comes off the back of an Africa Cup of Nations triumph with Morocco, a title secured in unusual circumstances after a legal ruling following the tournament. He was part of the winning squad, though he remained an unused substitute throughout and has only one brief senior appearance to his name so far. Even so, his trajectory is clear enough for Europe’s elite to start circling.
Dortmund want to be ahead of that queue. The feeling around the club is that his valuation will only go in one direction, and quickly.
Schlotterbeck saga forces Dortmund’s hand
The urgency has a name: Nico Schlotterbeck.
The German international has been a fixture in the Dortmund XI, a cornerstone of their defensive structure. But contract negotiations have dragged on, and what began as routine talks has turned into a public saga. The lack of progress has started to grate on sections of the fanbase, who are growing weary of the constant questions over his long-term commitment.
Inside the hierarchy, the mood is pragmatic. They would prefer to keep a defender of his calibre, but they cannot afford to be naïve. If Schlotterbeck decides to walk away in search of a new challenge, Dortmund cannot be left scrambling in the final weeks of the window.
That is where Ait Boudlal comes in: not as a like-for-like replacement in terms of experience, but as a cornerstone for the next cycle.
Sule exit compounds the pressure
As if the Schlotterbeck situation were not tense enough, another pillar is expected to fall. Niklas Süle, the former Bayern Munich man, is anticipated to leave in the summer. His departure would strip the squad of a major source of experience and physical presence at the back.
Lose Süle and potentially Schlotterbeck, and the rebuild stops being optional. It becomes urgent.
For Ole Book, that likely means more than one centre-back signing. Ait Boudlal is the name currently generating the most noise, but he is far from the only option on the list. Dortmund’s scouting network has been busy across the continent, with the likes of Marcos Senesi and Joane Gadou repeatedly mentioned as possible targets.
The brief is simple: avoid a defensive crisis before it starts.
A wider rebuild: width, pace, and old-school wingers
The shake-up will not stop at centre-back.
Dortmund are also planning a refresh further up the pitch, with a clear tactical shift in mind. The club want to return to a system built on genuine, touchline-hugging wingers – the kind of wide players who stretch games, pin full-backs, and open channels for the forwards inside.
The current squad, in the eyes of the decision-makers, lacks enough of that profile. That has pushed BVB towards young, dynamic options, and one name fits the brief neatly: Diego Moreira of Strasbourg.
Moreira, tied down in France until 2029, is understood to be open to the next step in his career. His pace, direct running and ability to operate high and wide tick the boxes for Dortmund’s planned evolution in attack.
A crossroads summer at Signal Iduna Park
All of this points to a pivotal summer in Dortmund.
A defence that could lose both Süle and Schlotterbeck. A recruitment drive led by Ole Book that targets raw, high-ceiling talent like Ait Boudlal. An attack being reshaped around classic width, with players such as Moreira under consideration.
Dortmund have chosen their path: act early, bet on potential, and reshape the spine before it buckles. The only question now is whether those bold moves arrive in time to keep BVB competing at the sharp end of Europe, or whether this is the first step into a very different phase for the club.
