Manager Niko Kovac's contract at Borussia Dortmund expires at the end of the season. In this important personnel matter, a quick decision appears to be taking shape at the club.

According to Sport Bild, the 54-year-old is expected to sign a new contract in October.

Concrete talks with Kovac's representatives are said to begin once managing directors Lars Ricken, Carsten Cramer, and Thomas Treß have extended their own contracts—a step that club president Hans-Joachim Watzke is planning for the coming weeks.

Kovac took over the manager position at Borussia Dortmund in February 2025 as successor to Nuri Sahin and interim solution Mike Tullberg. At that time, the former Croatian international initially received a contract through 2026. This was extended by a further year in August 2025.

Another extension of the working relationship has been a topic at Borussia Dortmund for some time. Ricken stated after the 1-0 victory in the Bundesliga at VfB Stuttgart over the weekend that they had naturally already discussed what the roadmap would look like. He emphasized that it was important first to get through the transfer period and the first intense weeks of fixtures.

Borussia Dortmund: "Calm and composure" with Niko Kovac

The club's sporting director reported that there is calm and composure with Kovac. He noted that it was important for Kovac to currently be successful and not become unsettled because of contractual situations. Ricken stated that he believed this applied to both of them and that a relationship of trust had genuinely developed.

Ricken reflected on Kovac's appointment, noting that there was not only applause when they signed him. He pointed out that Kovac has now made 52 Bundesliga appearances for the club and he assumes that Kovac remains the manager with the best points average in Borussia Dortmund's history—which he said is also a great compliment to him.