Nico Schulz to leave TSG

"Even though we ultimately approved the transfer after weighing up all the facts, we obviously regret the loss of Nico. His development over the two seasons he spent with us has been downright sensational and he has come to symbolise the path that players can take at TSG," said Hoffenheim director of football Alexander Rosen. "For us as a club, economic factors obviously play a role in such transfers too; as do issues with which the player is confronted, which can only be stopped with great difficulty once they reach a certain level," explained Rosen. By moving to BVB, Nico Schulz will be the third most expensive player that TSG have ever sold, after the departures of Roberto Firmino to Liverpool and Kerem Dermirbay to Bayer Leverkusen. He will also be one of the most expensive full-backs in world football.

The Berlin native, who joined TSG two years ago following what had been a difficult spell for him at Borussia Mönchengladbach, not only developed into a key performer during his time in Hoffenheim, but became a Germany international too. "I'm acutely aware of everything that I owe TSG Hoffenheim, the people here at the club, the coaching staff, the fans and my team-mates," said Schulz. "That's why I thought long and hard about the transfer. I've now decided to take this path and I'm grateful to TSG that they've approved the transfer."

The left-back made 56 Bundesliga appearances for TSG Hoffenheim in his two seasons at the club, scoring twice. He also played five Champions League and five Europa league matches (one goal) and four DFB Cup ties (one goal). Schulz has played six times for the German national team, scoring twice.