Niklas Sule’s agent admits that the Bundesliga champion chose Borussia Dortmund over more lucrative offers from elsewhere, speaking to BILD after Premier League Newcastle United missed out.
According to German football expert Christian Falk, Sule rebuffed Newcastle’s advances during the January transfer window.
The Magpies may be the ‘richest football club in the world’ right now. But, as long as they are dragging their feet on the bottom of the Premier League, the prospect of Tuesday night trips to Preston, Bristol and Luton a very real fear on Tyneside, then securing the services of their most ambitious transfer targets will remain easier said than done.
Much to the frustration of Julian Nagelsmann and many a Bayern Munich team-mate, Sule opted against signing a new contract at the Allianz Arena.
And, on Monday afternoon, it was confirmed that the 37-time Germany international will be following in Mats Hummels’ footsteps, swapping the perennial champions for the eternal bridesmaids of Dortmund.
“Niklas also had other options, including some where he would have earned more money,” explains Sule’s agent, Volker Struth.
“But he decided on this club (Dortmund) very quickly after the first contacts.”
Was Niklas Sule right to choose Dortmund over Newcastle?
According to the man himself, BVB went the extra mile during negotiations, setting out their plan and making it clear that Sule would be handed a major role at the Signal Iduna Park.
“I immediately felt that those responsible at the club were very interested in working with me,” Sule adds.
“(CEO) Hans-Joachim Watzke, (executive) Michael Zorc, (director) Sebastian Kehl and (head coach) Marco Rose gave me an impressive impression of the role I can play at BVB.
“I had the feeling that I was wanted as a person and as a footballer.”
Sule is the latest in a long line of highly-talented centre-halves to slip through Newcastle’s fingers since the turn of the year.
Sevilla refused to let Diego Carlos leave a La Liga title back for a relegation dogfight on Tyneside. Lille, meanwhile, rejected a number of bids for Sven Botman.
Nico Schlotterbeck of Freiburg and Benoit Badiashile of Monaco also passed Newcastle by.
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