Borussia Dortmund and academy product Tom Rothe, 18, have committed to a sporting future together and prematurely extended their cooperation until 30 June 2026. Rothe will spend next season gaining match practice with ambitious second-tier club Holstein Kiel.

"We firmly believe in Tom's quality and would like to reinforce this with a long-term contract extension. For his next step, it is important for him to be on the pitch as often as possible and to gain further competitive experience. We're convinced that he will succeed in this regard in Kiel," said BVB sporting director Sebastian Kehl, who emphasised: "We'll monitor Tom's development at Holstein Kiel very closely."

The player himself said the following of his extension and loan: "I'm very happy about my contract extension in Dortmund, but for now I'm looking forward to the challenge with Holstein Kiel. I would like to continue my development next season and assume more responsibility on the pitch. Kiel is the ideal place to do that. I'm happy that the loan worked out so quickly and that I can start training with Holstein starting tomorrow."

Tom Rothe made his debut for Borussia Dortmund at the age of 17 years, five months and 18 days and immediately scored to make it 1-0 against Wolfsburg. In total, Rothe has so far made four Bundesliga and three Champions League appearances at senior level.

The loan will automatically end after one season. A purchase option has expressly not been agreed.