Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund and midfielder Emre Can, 29, will continue their sporting cooperation. On Friday afternoon, the Germany international prematurely extended his contract with the eight-time German champions by a further two years until 30 June 2026.

“Last season, Emre developed into the leading player that we always saw in him. We value his hunger, his physicality, his absolute desire to win every game and that’s not only the case at Borussia Dortmund but in the national team too. Emre is a strong, mature character and possesses a wealth of international experience. He will help us to further develop and stabilise this team. We’re really happy to continue our joint path with Emre,” declared BVB sporting director Sebastian Kehl.

In his career to date, Can has made 124 appearances in the Bundesliga (14 goals, 10 assists), 115 in the Premier League (10 goals, seven assists), 37 in Serie A (four goals, one assist), 40 in the UEFA Champions League (one goal, one assist) and 41 at international level for the Germany senior team (one goal). Can was among the key performers in head coach Edin Terzic’s squad in 2023, in which Borussia Dortmund have so far amassed 46 points. In 2021, he helped Borussia Dortmund win the DFB-Pokal thanks to a 4-1 triumph against Leipzig in the final.

Emre Can declared: “I feel very comfortable here in Dortmund. I have definitely arrived in the past few months and have shown what I expect from myself and what the fans here expect from me. My benchmark must be to play like I did in the second half of the season or even better. Dortmund and I are a good fit for each other. That’s why I want to stay here, work hard and help the team to achieve our objectives.”