Borussia Dortmund news and rumours: If he fails! Special clause in Niko Kovac’s new contract at Borussia Dortmund revealed

Kane has competition from Dortmund! A Borussia Dortmund star is on a par with Bayern Munich’s goalscorer in the Champions League. Meanwhile, Niko Kovac gives a positive assessment after the win against Sabah FK. Details of his new contract have also come to light. Borussia Dortmund news and rumours.

Borussia Dortmund rumour: Intriguing details of Niko Kovac's contract revealed

Niko Kovac recently extended his Borussia Dortmund contract until 2029. Sport Bild claims the deal includes bonuses for success and a so-called "firing clause".

Under the reported agreement, Kovac and the club's management would terminate the contract immediately if the 55-year-old fails. Dortmund would then calculate his remaining salary through to June 2029 and pay him 50 per cent of it.

That would take Kovac off Borussia Dortmund's wage bill. He could also negotiate with other clubs immediately, without them having to pay a fee.

Success would bring several bonuses. On top of a basic salary said to be in the region of five million euros, Kovac would receive 1.2 million euros for winning the league title and the same sum for a Champions League triumph. Winning the DFB Cup would earn him another 500,000 euros.

During negotiations said to have begun towards the end of last season, Kovac reportedly insisted on a long-term contract this time. In August 2025, he had accepted an extension of just one further year. The new deal adds two more years, a sign that he wants to build something alongside sporting director Ole Book and managing director Lars Ricken.

Borussia Dortmund news: Guirassy draws level with Kane after brace against Sabah

Serhou Guirassy starred in Borussia Dortmund's 2-1 Champions League win over Sabah FK on Tuesday. His two goals made him Dortmund's man of the match and gave him a seventh brace in the competition since the start of the 2024/25 season. That puts him level with Bayern Munich star Harry Kane at the top of that category. "I'm a little torn," Guirassy said after the match. "I'm happy with the win; it was important for the team. But we missed some chances."

Those goals took the Guinean's Champions League tally for the season to four. Immediately after the final whistle, he was joint-top of the scoring charts with Stuttgart's Ermedin Demirovic, Club Brugge's Nicolo Tresoldi and Erling Haaland of Manchester City.

Against the champions of Azerbaijan, Dortmund ended a run of three consecutive matches without a win across all competitions. Last week, they had suffered a 1-0 defeat to Bodö/Glimt on the second matchday of the Champions League league phase. They now have six points from three games.

On Saturday, Dortmund return to Bundesliga action at home to Eintracht Frankfurt.

Borussia Dortmund news: Dortmund end mini-crisis as Kovac praises attack and Book welcomes win

After the final whistle against Sabah, Borussia Dortmund coach Niko Kovac praised his team's attacking play.

"We played a really good attacking game today and created lots of chances. If we had taken just half of them, we would certainly have won by three or four goals," the Dortmund coach explained. He also acknowledged that his team's mistakes had repeatedly given Sabah opportunities: "We made a small mistake once or twice, and that brought our opponents back into the game. It was hard work, but thoroughly deserved."

Sporting director Ole Book welcomed the three points after the recent run of poor results. "When you make such a long journey – and not just us, but the fans too – we're all the happier to have the three points, which were also very important after the defeat in Norway. Of course, it feels good to win again after three games without a victory," Book said.

Like Kovac, Book saw an improvement in Dortmund's play despite the missed chances. "Being more clinical would certainly have helped us today. On the other hand, we took a clear step forward in our play," Book concluded.

Joey Veerman, who impressed with an outstanding performance and set up the 2-1 winner, agreed that Dortmund had improved on the previous week. The midfielder also wanted more from the team in front of goal. "We created lots of chances. Compared with last week, I thought we played a really good game today – in terms of the chances and the way we played. But yes, we have to put the game beyond doubt. We should have scored many more goals," Veerman explained.

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